Birth of a Legend
by Psychochu100
Summary: Taking 2 months after the events of Dust: An Elysian Tail, a new enemy force had appeared, but it was more powerful than General Gaius' army. The fate of Falana rests on a young man with a mysterious past. Beware of Occasional Spoilers from Dust: An Elysian Tail; i do not own the characters or the game itself.
1. Prologue

Birth of a Legend

Prologue

 _In the dawn of time, Falana was watched over by the Elementals. We do not know their origins; only that they were born in their respective elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Lightning, Frost, Light and Darkness. 7 of the Elementals lived in harmony… 1 did not. The Dark Elemental has desired to rule all of Falana and had been suppressed by the other Elementals… and so began the battle that historians refer to as 'The Battle of Falana'. The Dark Elemental had rose an army of shadows against the others, determined to rid of them and rule over Falana as Emperor; but the other Elementals had prepared for such a war. The Elemental of Fire had raised Lava Golems and created Dragons to reduce the Shadow Army to ashes; The Elemental of Water had crafted, alongside with the Elemental of Lightning, a Kraken and a powerful thunderstorm to strike down the Shadow Army; The Elemental of Earth had given the Armies of Fire and Water earthen armor and summoned a Basilisk to assist in the war; The Elemental of Air had sent Harpies and Griffins against the Shadow Army; The Elemental of Light, wisest of all Elementals, crafted Weapons for all Elements but Darkness and sent in Angels of Justice against the Shadow Army. The Dark Elemental, however, was cunning; he forged himself a powerful greatsword: The Bane of Purity. He led the charge against the Armies of Fire, Water and Light and had slaughtered a great many number of soldiers. The war had continued for 10 long years, until The Shadow Army had finally let loose their greatest weapon: It was as tall as a mountain, completely made of shadows; its eyes glowed crimson red, it had hands the size of inns and its claws were powerful enough to slice a 50 acre forest in a single swipe, it had a muscular build and was only known as 'The Beast'. The Beast easily cut through the opposing armies, leaving only the Elementals themselves against the entire Shadow Army, but The Elemental of Light had one more trick up his sleeve. He had crafted a hatchet and whispered an enchantment to it "Whoever holds this Hatchet, who has a pure heart and cannot be corrupted, who knows compassion and shows determination, shall be the Champion against the Darkness." As the enchantment was complete, The Dark Elemental had broken into The Light Elemental's Fortress and witnessed him throwing the Hatchet out of the window into the river below. The Dark Elemental had impaled The Light Elemental with The Bane of Purity, but was shocked to discover that the other Elementals had one more plan: They covered The Dark Elemental by their own bodies and used every bit of power they have to entrap him into the center of the Dark Abyss, sacrificing themselves in the process. No one knows where the hatchet had gone after the war, but there is peace in Falana and the neighbouring regions. The Dark Elemental and The Beast bided their time in The Dark Abyss, creating another army in the case that they'll be freed. In the present time, Two Warmbloods: A boy with a pure heart but lack of combat experience and an assassin with a corrupt mind but fluent skills with the blade were merged into one body that us moonbloods refer to as the Seh-Mitharin named Dust, had defeated the genocidal General Gauis, giving his life in the process. After a duration of 2 months, Falana was at peace; Moonblood and Warmblood alike… but Peace cannot be kept forever. The fabled hatchet crafted by the Light Elemental is the only weapon that can truly kill The Dark Elemental, but historians and expeditions never founded it. The fate for Falana and its neighbouring regions fall not onto Dust… but to a young man…_


	2. Chopping Wood

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 1: Chopping Wood

 _A young man, who has no knowledge of his past or his future ahead of him, lives in a small village near the border of Falana with two elderly Warmbloods._

Two eyes opened in the crack of dawn, waking up in a cot bed in a small cottage next to a sawmill run by a waterwheel. The Warmblood who owned those eyes got up from the cot and stood up: He is a Wolf Warmblood, had Dark Brown hair with a tuft on the front, had orange fur and cream furred belly, had a short sleeved white shirt with a brown vest, had green camo cargo shorts, black boots and had a fairly muscular physique. His eyes were white, but he wasn't blind. He then checked on his foster parents: One was a long, grey haired female Warmblood and the other is a short, greying and balding male Warmblood; both are asleep in their bed, making the young man smile and went to the kitchen to make some Bacon and Eggs for his foster parents. After that, he grabbed a green apple from the fruit bowl and munched on it as he went outside and felt the morning wind breathing across. He breathed in deeply and calmly breathed out as he was having his apple, before he checked for any mail in the Mailbox near the Firewood pile. There was only a notice from the Village guard and a mail for his foster parents, so he went back inside and placed the mail on the table in the living room before heading out and let loose his muscles. He then did some push-ups (about 50 at least), before doing some pull-ups (also 50) and got up to chop some Firewood for heating the fire at the Inn. Each time he chopped a log in half, he twirled a hatchet in a 360 motion before chopping it in his right hand. After 15 minutes of chopping firewood, his foster father called him from inside; he turned to a fair pile of chopped firewood and leaned the hatchet next to the stump before replying "Coming!" He then jogged inside and saw his foster parents reading the mail with their glasses; his foster mother said "Good morning, Ty! How did you sleep?" Ty then replied "I've slept well, thank you. Um, is there a problem?" His foster father shook his head and replied "No Ty. No problem at present time. The Village Guard just gave us a notification that there is no hostiles within the area." Ty nodded with a smile as his foster mother said "By the way Ty, it was so sweet of you to cook us up some breakfast. You are such a dear, sweetie." Ty then smiled gleefully and replied "That's very kind of you, thank you." Ty's foster mother smiled sweetly at Ty, when his foster father said "Well, I'd better work on the mill." Ty then stood in his way, not of hostility but of concern, and replied "Wait, I can't let you get a broken back again. How about I do it this time?" Ty's foster father leered at him to be sure he's honest, but the test was passed and he agreed to let Ty work the mill today. Ty then went out of the cottage as his foster father sat on the couch and said "He's such a good lad. Ever since we took him in when his parents were killed by unknown creatures, which is about 12 years ago now, he is able to help us out, no matter the task." Ty's foster mother then sat next to her husband and replied "He's certainly a helpful boy. He's also quite certainly to have gained strength over the years; most of the young women in the village are in awe of his physique."

Meanwhile, Ty had lifted a tree log over his head and placed it on the piece of the mill that pushes the logs to be sawn in half by a large buzzsaw. As he used the lever that pushes the log to the Buzzsaw and the huge log pile, three young women peeked at Ty from the bushes, looking dreamily at his muscly physique. It was only 20 minutes before the girls decided to ask him out; Ty was bringing in the 20th log to the platform, when he heard the girls talking from behind, making him smile in content. He then used the lever and turned to the girls as they just got on the platform and said "Morning girls!" The girls: One is a scarlet haired with a floral dress and a pink lotus in her hair, the second is a blonde pigtail with a red shirt and denim shorts and the last one is a purple haired with her front swept in front of her left eye with a blue kimino; they bickered each other in a whisper that Ty can't listen to (despite being in earshot range, but doesn't want to interrupt) "Oh my god (x3), he said 'Hi!'" The girl with the scarlet hair then said "We were just wondering… if you have free time this evening…" Ty, whilst putting on a gentle smile, raised his left brow and said "Yes?" As she was about to continue, another young man's voice rang "Cleo! Where are you? Your little brother needs you! Bring your friends too!" Cleo groaned and rolled her eyes as her father shouted again "Cleo!" Cleo then went to the corner and yelled "Alright, Dad! Hang on a minute! *sigh* God… Come on Jess and Leslie. See you, Ty." Ty then waved and replied "Later, girls." Cleo, Jess and Leslie smiled and waved back with a blush before heading to town; Ty turned away and let loose a sigh of relief before saying to himself "Hoo boy… I don't mind those girls… but I prefer just the one girl: Cheryl. *sighs in endearment* She's just a genuinely sweet girl." Ty's foster father then rung from below "Ty! How many logs did you cut?" Ty was snapped out of his fantasy and exclaimed back "Which ones: The tree logs or the Firewood?" Ty's foster father then rung back "Tree logs! How many?" Ty then replied "20! Why do you ask?" There was a few moments of silence before Ty's foster father replied "Just wanted you to take the day off! Have a good day in the village, Ty!" Ty couldn't believe his ears, so he said "Thanks!" before he went to the cart filled with firewood. As his foster father retreated back in the cottage, Ty lifted the bars with little effort and pulled it into the village.


	3. Helping Hand

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 2: Helping Hand

Ty dragged the cart filled with chopped firewood further into the village, passing by Cleo's house, the general stand and the Town Hall before arriving at the Inn. He then parks the cart gently near the entrance and knocked at the front door, hearing a voice saying "Come in." When the front door opened, Ty was highly reluctant to see a would-be bully sitting near the door: He was a large mouse Warmblood, has deep brown body with crimson red belly, has silver eyes and a buff physique; wears a black singlet and brown pants. Ty has two good reasons why he hates him: he taunts him 24/7 ever since he (Ty) arrived in the village and he's dating Cheryl, but flirts with the other girls in the village when she wasn't looking. The girls in the village, save for Cheryl, are disgusted with his attitude, but he mistakes it frequently for jealousy. His name is Patrick and he said mockingly "Hi, tiny cub. Came out of your doghouse earlier today?" Ty really wanted to punch him because he was so intensely annoyed, but he instead responds with a groan and went back to the cart as Patrick followed him, making mocking faces at Ty. Ty just ignored him and grabbed 20 halves of Firewood into his arms and went inside the Inn, where he noticed the captain of the guard having a pint at the counter. As much as Ty wanted to report 12 years' worth of verbal abuse, he decided it would be better for someone else to witness it rather than telling alone, so he placed the halved Firewood pile near the counter, knowing that the embers never made it near the counter. He then turned around to grab another pile, when he saw Cheryl: she was a Wolf Warmblood, has long purple hair swept across her neck, has blue eyes, has a fair slim figure, wears a white shirt with brown shorts, a red lotus near her left ear as well as an earring and black sandals. She was reading a romantic novel, blushing at a passage that Ty is certain to be a passionate scene, when Patrick suddenly appeared next to Cheryl, disrupting her reading and she said calmly, yet Ty noticed tense in her voice "Hi Patrick…" Ty sighed in annoyance and went back outside the Inn, when the Innkeeper asked Ty for help. Ty shrugged and agreed to help; the Innkeeper led Ty to the outdoor area and told him that one of the pillars is a little dispositioned and pointed at the said pillar: it was tilting into the area, likely to tumble down along with the cover. Ty then positioned the pillar back into its correct position and removed the improperly nailed nails and replaced them with newer ones, which he nailed them from the boards at the external corner. The Innkeeper is pleased to see the problem resolved, before Ty told him "Some of the nails weren't nailed in properly… and they were in the wrong direction." The Innkeeper shown a blank expression when Ty told him why the pillar was dispositioned, but was shocked when Ty showed him the proof. Ty then asked him who had nailed the pillar previously, but as the Innkeeper was about to reply, his eyes moved to the backdoor and Ty finished in an annoyed tone "Patrick…" Patrick then said "What? The pillar was fixed already? Aw Man! I was going to repair it, but you beat me to the punch, little wolf!" Ty noticed the hammer in Patrick's pocket, but instead of reporting it, he shrugged and replied "Well, I can't let it be a hazard to anyone's life, so I corrected it. Anyway, I'll leave you to have a peaceful morning." Ty then set off away from the Inn, knowing that he can't take anymore false claims by Patrick, when he bumped into Cheryl, who exclaimed tensely "Patrick! Would you stop—"Cheryl then noticed Ty, who was wide-eyed and Cheryl said almost immediately "Sorry Ty, thought it was Pat for a moment. I just wanted to read this novel, but he keeps butting in whenever I'm on a critical plot point." Ty then made a short sigh before replying "It's okay Cheryl, I just walked away from him actually. Had to reposition the pillar back into position and _HE'S_ the only one who has access to a hammer. *sighs* One time, I wished he wouldn't pester me, just once!" Cheryl then nodded and looked around to see if anyone else is around, before she leaned to Ty's ear and whispered "To be honest, I'm aware that Pat is flirting behind my back. The only reason why I'm dating him in the first place is because my father wanted me to be with someone strong. He doesn't believe you can lift an entire tree log… but _I_ do." Ty nodded and Cheryl backed her head away and continued in a normal voice "Well, I'd better get to the outdoor area to check how Pat is doing. See you later, Ty!" Cheryl then walked around the corner to the Outdoor area and Ty pulled the empty cart back to the Sawmill, finding his foster parents on the bench near the creek. Ty then went to the wood pile and chopped a log in half before taking the pieces and got out a small, stone dagger and started to whittle on one of the halves, eventually making a figurine of himself. As he grabbed the other half, Mayor Grif approached Ty and said "Excuse me Ty, can you help? There's a boulder blocking the entrance to the village and none of the guards have the strength to remove it." Ty then replied "Yes sir. But why did you want me for this task?" Mayor Grif then explained "Because I've heard about your strength; I've heard that you can lift tree logs without any sign of stress and I'm certain you can remove this boulder." Ty gave it a thought and accepted the offer. He then puts down the unfinished whittled firewood and retracts the whittling knife before placing it in his pocket and went to the village entrance.

Ty arrived at the village entrance to see the guards on the ground, fatigued due to the boulder, which Ty sees a few spears wedged between the boulder and the ground. Ty then let loose his muscles and placed both his hands under the boulder before lifting it up with ease, much to the astonishment of Mayor Grif and the guards. Ty then looked at the distance and saw a herd of deer passing by; knowing that he had a weapon above his head, he couldn't hurl it so he laid his right ear in the boulder and held it in his right hand and knocked on it with his left. Mayor Grif and the guard are wondering what Ty is doing, when Ty threw the boulder straight up and clenched his right hand into a fist. After it was flung a couple hundred metres high, it fell down towards Ty; Ty then threw his right fist to the boulder and it broke into many pieces, surprising Mayor Grif and the guards as well. Ty then looked at the remains of the boulder and turned to Mayor Grif and the guards and said "These boulder pieces would be perfect for a make shift supply of whetstones." Mayor Grif then looked at the guards and they looked back at him, then they looked at Ty and simply nodded their heads; Mayor Grif then said "Maybe you need to see your foster parents about your wound, young Ty." Ty then looked at Mayor Grif in puzzlement and showed him the front of his right hand and it showed there was no sign of damage, not even a scratch. Mayor Grif is amazed that Ty has significant endurance as well as unbelievable strength, when Ty said "Mayor Grif? *Mayor Grif snapped out of his trance and looked at Ty* I don't know much about how I got my strength or my endurance, but I'm a little uncertain of the truth. I don't even remember my past." Mayor Grif expressed concern about Ty's wellbeing, but knows he had a strong mind. Ty then continued "Sorry to leave on short notice, but I must have lunch at the Inn. If you have another errand available, I can try my best to do it, but after I have my meal. Anyway, see you later, Mayor Grif!" Ty then jogged back to the village as Mayor Grif and the guard looked at him go; one of the guards got up and asked Mayor Grif "Sir, do you think he might have been a descendant?" Mayor Grif rubbed his chin and replied "There's a chance, but he raises a good point: He has no knowledge of his past and there is no leads to follow." The guards knew that Mayor Grif had an excellent point; even Ty's foster parents don't know his parents, except they weren't alive by the time they've arrived in the ruined village. Mayor Grif and the guards then went back to the village, proceeding back to their duties.HH


	4. One Boast Too Many

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 3: One boast too many

Ty went inside the inn and saw Cleo, Jess and Leslie near the fire pit, who saw him coming in and waved at him with their fingers, which Ty replied with a gentle nod in their direction. He then went over to the counter and the Innkeeper saw Ty and said "Ah Ty! Thank you for fixing that problem earlier, it is more secure now thanks to you." Ty then replied "Well, I just can't be idle when it topples over…" The Innkeeper then chuckled and said "Such modesty… But I must insist of rewarding you: you can have a free lunch, I've got a freshly full grown patch of potatoes in storage; I'll make you a good Wok full of hot, crispy chips." Ty then replied, with a gentle smile "Well, if you insist, I'll be happy to accept your offer. I'll just find a seat." The Innkeeper nodded and went into the storage room, as Ty wheeled around and saw Cleo, Jess and Leslie gesturing him to join them; he then shifted his eyes to Cheryl, who is fixated in her novel, so he went to Cleo, Jess and Leslie; all three mouthed at each other "Yes!" as Ty sat next to Cleo. He then asked Cleo "How's your baby brother?" Cleo then replied, with a faint blush "He's okay, I just put him to sleep just a few minutes ago. How's your morning, Ty? *Cleo then frowned before continuing* Patrick taunted you again, didn't he?" Ty rolled his eyes and replied "Without a doubt. I also replaced some nails he hammered into the outdoor area, but he did it from the shade rather than the exterior." Cleo nodded in understanding, as Jess and Leslie sat opposite of Ty and Cleo and Jess said in a whisper "He winked at us again earlier on; I swear, he keeps this up, Cheryl will definitely call quits with him." Ty then twiddled his thumbs and quietly said in an awkward tone "Uhhh, yeah… since you mentioned that… I had a brief chat with Cheryl after I fixed the pillar and she's aware of Pat's nature, but she's stuck with him because her father recommends him because of his strength." Cleo, Jess and Leslie rolled their eyes and sighed in disbelief, when the Innkeeper came upon them and gave Ty his free order: It was a big order of chips with plain salt and a fair bit of tomato sauce; Ty is certain he can't eat an order this size, but he then looked at the girls and asked if they want to dig in, which they did almost instantly. Cheryl then lowered her novel and saw Ty eating a large order of chips with, as she puts it, 'The Three Daisies'. She was waiting for Pat to come with lunch, but her stomach says otherwise, so she puts a bookmark in her novel and went over to Ty and the girls; Leslie shifted her eyes up and Ty realised that Cheryl is coming over, his thoughts going crazy like a hurricane. Cheryl then asked Ty "Hey Ty, can I have a few chips? Pat is late with getting my lunch." Ty then blankly nodded and lifted the large bowl of chips so Cheryl can grab a handful and she said "Thank you Ty. You're such a kind boy." Ty blushed at the comment as Cheryl then said to the Three Daisies "Hope you guys had a good morning." She then returned to her table to eat her chips, when Patrick came in the Inn with Cheryl's father: He has a similar look to his daughter, but he is wearing a felt hat, a satchel, a white shirt with a brown vest, brown pants and brown loafers. Cheryl looked at them with a bit of potato fallen from her lower lip, which her father then said "My dear daughter, Patrick tells me that young pup has 'fixed' a pillar from the outdoor area, which clearly doesn't need to be corrected. And now, you have just accepted food from that little mongrel (Ty had the mind to clench his fist, but knows better to fight in public); a mill boy. Don't you see that Patrick is a perfect role model for you?" Cheryl then looked at Ty, who is feeling tense at the unfair comparison between him and Patrick. Cheryl then breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly before replying "No, he's not father. What kind of role model flirts with other girls behind his partner's back? What kind of role model verbally abuses an innocent boy 24/7 for 12 years? What kind of person is that?!" Cheryl's father was about so say something, when Patrick then yelled "A STRONG PERSON, YOU TIMID HOUND! You want proof? I'll show you!" Patrick then dragged Ty into the Village Square and started to throw rocks at Ty, who is starting to be annoyed by Patrick's abuse. Patrick then went over to the Quarry Storage and pulled off a bar; there was a creaking noise and Patrick quickly realised he pulled off the latch bar by mistake and turned to see a boulder flung upwards from the storage and coming straight down to Patrick, who is quaking in fear. Ty then groaned annoyingly and said "You moron…" He then rushed to Patrick and forced him out of the way before clashing his right fist to the falling boulder, smashing it to pieces without a sign of pain. Ty then lowered his right arm as Cheryl and her father, The Three Daisies and Patrick saw what happened in pure astonishment. Ty then saw a few pebbles falling from the Quarry Hold and stood his ground as a Rock Golem had emerged from the Quarry Hold. It was at least as tall as a 2 storey household, it had a grey, rocky body and its eyes were grey as well. Ty then noticed that there was a dark orb embedded in its chest and understood it is powering the golem, when the Rock Golem threw his right arm towards Ty, but Ty caught it without a fuss and had a tug of war against the golem, before ripping it off from the golem and turned into 3 full circles before throwing it directly at the dark orb, shattering it in an instant. The Rock Golem then suddenly became lifeless and its body parts disassembled into small boulders. Ty then looked back and saw astonished faces of Cheryl and her father, The Three Daisies and Patrick, who has immediately regretted abusing Ty. Mayor Grif and the guards then rushed to the Village Square and saw the rubble from the Rock Golem; Mayor Grif then said, startling all but the guards and Ty "What happened here?" Ty then explained what had occurred and the result was that Patrick is revoked to dating Cheryl and Ty has finally been given respect by Cheryl's father.


	5. A Journey's Beginning

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 4: A Legend's Beginning

Later at Sunset, Ty is lying down on the grass near the cottage, gazing at the amber sky and the orange clouds in pure silence, when a familiar voice rang from his left "Hey Ty… *Ty turned to his left and saw Cheryl, smiling a little from earlier on* Mind if I gaze at the sky with you?" Ty gave a gentle smile and nodded; Cheryl then layed on her back next to Ty, who's secretly happy that Cheryl is right next to him. Likewise, Cheryl is very glad not to be around Patrick frequently anymore and, although she hasn't told anyone, she'd rather be with Ty than anyone else. Both Wolf Warmbloods gaze at the beautiful sunset sky, wondering what's to come in the future, when Ty felt something bad is coming… something sinister to the village, but isn't sure what it is. He almost felt like it happened before, but he cannot recall it in either memory or in a passage of a book. Cheryl then noticed that Ty is feeling uneasy about something, but isn't sure what; although she's aware it is definitely not herself. Her time with Ty is cut short when her father called her name, also snapping Ty out of his thoughts and he saw Cheryl getting up hastily, who turned to Ty and said "Sorry Ty, I've got to get back home. See you soon!" She then turned around and ran back to the village, prompting Ty to sigh in despair. He then got up and went back inside the cottage, smelling dinner about to be prepared, which pepped him up a little. He then had his dinner with his foster parents, who glanced at him in worry because what they'd heard happened earlier today. Ty felt a little uneasy because his foster parents are glancing at him with worry, but he understood that they're reasonably worried about him. After dinner, Ty went to bed early because he's very uneasy, but can't help feeling if something bad will really happen. He then drowsily shut his eyes and went to sleep… but began to had a similar nightmare over his 12 years in the village: A young Wolf Warmblood was in a small sleeping bag and sleeping contently, when he heard scuffles in the living room and his bedroom door was ajar. He opened one of his eyes and saw a dark figure with a dark-imbued scimitar killed his parents with no remorse; it then noticed the boy and stood there motionless as the boy shivered in fear, then the figure shook his head and said in a deep, dark voice "Wrong village… I was SO sure this was the village." The boy then turned his head and saw the whole village was in blazes; his eyes watered with deep fear, when the roof had collapsed and then… Ty woke up with a start, breathing in and out deeply, his eyes widened with shock. He then heard a faint song in the distance, deep in Woodchip Forest and had a sense that something useful was calling to him, as strange as it sounds. He then got up from his cot and got changed into warm clothes, as well as grabbing a bundle of apples because he has a feeling he's going to need them.

He then slipped out the window and headed into Woodchip Forest, hearing the song growing louder and louder as he goes deeper into the forest, before it went softer as he went past it a few feet. He then backed up and turned to his left and realised that the song was emanating off the path, so he followed it, albeit carefully as to not damage any anthills or bird nests on the ground, when he came to a river and heard the song becoming silent. He was quite mystified, but noted to himself that everything happens for a reason, even if there is not a reason at all. He then checked the riverbank first, since objects leaves the current often, some aren't worth a piece of gold, but he notices a hatchet sunk into the mud and had a feeling it is not what it seemed. He then crouched and grabbed the hatchet, pulling it out gently from the mud and saw the blade is still in pristine condition, despite being encased in mud for who knows how long. All of a sudden, the hatchet had a symbol etched on the top of the blade and it glowed bright blue and, much to Ty's surprise, it spoke "Good evening, master." Ty fell backwards in surprise and looked at the hatchet floating in midair astonished. The hatchet then spoke "So sorry for startling you, Master. I'd expect that you aren't aware for a weapon to just talk, am I right?" Ty then gave a slight, yet noticeable nod, still speechless at the hatchet, who said "It's alright Master, you can speak." Ty gave a moment before he finally responded "So sorry for my silence, I'd just never witnessed a hatchet to be alive… in a way." The living hatchet then said to Ty "Guess I can't blame you then. I don't suppose you've heard about the weapons of Elysium in the neighbouring region of Falana?" Ty then shrugged, feeling more calm and replied "I've heard about the region of Falana, but not of the weapons of Elysium." The hatchet then made a curious hum, as though he was having a thought, but Ty then asked the hatchet "How long have you been in the mud, anyway?" The hatchet then jerked a little and replied "I don't know… possibly for many centuries, but something about you was drawn to me and it is very clear I'm no normal hatchet. Are you proficient with axes, Master?" Ty then replied "Well, I'm no soldier, but I'm well versed in the use of Hatchets at least." The sentient hatchet then went silent for a moment, then replied "Fair enough. Now master, claim me as your own personal weapon." Ty isn't sure about it, but knows that if a hostile like that Rock Golem comes again, he cannot rely on brute strength all the time, so he grabbed the sentient hatchet and felt something in him awoke. He felt like this power was pick for him and only for him, but he knows better than to use it for selfish reasons. He then asked the hatchet if he had a name, which he replied he did not, so Ty said to it "How about… Chrom?" The hatchet gave it a thought and replied "Yes, that sounds great. Just one question though… How proficient ARE you when it comes to axes?" As a reply, Ty twirled Chrom in circles and threw him up in the air as it twirled, before catching it perfectly, prompting Chrom to say "Point taken." Ty then nodded with a smile, when he heard a distant explosion explosion and realised it in a devastated tone "The village…"


	6. Tragic Deja Vu

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 5: Tragic Déjà vu

Ty rushed back to the village, Chrom magically bonded on his back, fearing the villagers, notably Cheryl and his foster parents, are in fatal danger, when he saw a horrible scene: the entire village was engulfed in flames, villagers are screaming for mercy, shadow monsters are throwing dark red flames at the buildings. Ty felt this is eerily similar to his nightmarish dream, when he heard a familiar scream coming from the Inn and he said in a tragic tone "Cheryl…" Without a second thought, he rushed to the Inn and bashed through the front door; he saw the Inn's roof is collapsing from the damage externally and that Cheryl is trapped in the corner behind fallen and smouldering supports. Cheryl saw Ty, who tried to get rid of the pillars, but the heat emanating from the supports made it impassable. Ty knew he had to get rid of them, then realised that Chrom has the Element of Frost, so he wielded Chrom and he (Chrom) was enveloped with sub-zero energy. Ty then twirled Chrom quickly, summoning a small-scale blizzard to put out the fire, then he shouted to Cheryl "Stand back!" as he jumped up and slammed Chrom to the smouldering supports, smashing them into pieces. Cheryl then ran out of the Inn just as the roof is about to give way, so Ty rushed out just as the Inn crumbled into smouldering rubble, breathing in and out deeply; Cheryl then suddenly pecked him quickly on the cheek, her eyes watered with a mix of fear and gratitude, saying shakingly "Thank you Ty! Thank You!" Ty then asked Cheryl to get out of the village quickly, before he rushed to the Mess Hall and saw the entrance blocked by debris. He then heard screams inside and a menacing roar, so he immediately ran to the doors and charged through by shifting his weight; his left arm forward as a glacial shield had appeared and it successfully smashed through the debris and the doors, before it went out magically. He then witnessed two shadow monsters cornering The Three Daisies, Mayor Grif, Patrick and Cheryl's Father, grabbing out their dark, ethereal blades in preparation for the kill, when Ty shouted at them "Hey! Pick on someone who could fight back!" The Shadow beasts turned their heads and saw Ty, standing there with a determined expression, wielding Chrom; The Shadow beasts are frightened as they said which only Ty understood "That's the Prime Elemental Weapon! He must be the Prime Elementalist!" Ty isn't sure what to make of that, but knows that he cannot let them harm the villagers, so he jumped up and smashed Chrom onto the ground; an icy pulse emanated from the point of impact and damaging the Shadow beasts. They then growl antagonistically at Ty, who threw Chrom at the one on the right and in pinned it to the wall, killing it whilst covering it with ice, when Ty noticed that his fists are enveloped with frost. As the other Shadow beast charged at Ty, Ty blew him to the wall with a powerful punch and did a flurry before gripping its neck and slamming it to the ground. Ty then realised, albeit obviously and evidently, that he can harness the power of the elements; he then stood up straight and turned to Mayor Grif, Patrick, Cheryll's Father and The Three Daisies, who looked at him in a mix of astonishment and idolism, before Patrick said "Ty… I… I didn't realise that…" Ty then broke Pat's sentence in a firm reply "Get out of the village; it is not safe." Just like that, they ran out of the Mess Hall and Ty went over to Chrom and held out his right hand, before being surprised that Chrom went back to his hand without even touching it. Ty then noted to himself "Okay, THAT is useful." Chrom then chuckled and replied "I know right?" Ty then nodded and ran out of the Mess Hall, then he ran to the Sawmill to rescue his Foster Parents, but was too late because he saw their lifeless corpses near the water's edge. Ty felt shattered, he breathed in and out heavily, his eyes widened with shock and watered with despair and sadness; he then walked to their corpses and kneeled down, weeping heavily with his hands over his wet eyes, when he heard his Foster Father weakingly say "Ty…" Ty uncovered his eyes and said "Dad… I'm so sorry…" His foster father shook his head and replied weakingly "Don't be… You did what you had to do… to save the villagers… don't let our deaths get in your way…" Ty then said in between hard sobs "You and mom took care of me for years… Ever since you've took me in from another destroyed village…" Ty's foster father then replied "In Falana… It was near Archer's Pass… everything was destroyed… you're the only survivor…" Ty then closed his eyes and wept more as his foster father said with his last breaths "You're special Ty… You can help… You can protect us… aahhh…" Just like that, Ty's foster father passed away, his eyes closed as he did. Ty then opened his eyes, looking at his deceased foster parents as rain began to fall; he then stood up and whispered "I will never forget…" Ty then got up, his fur becoming wet from the rain and went to find cover under a thick willow tree near the mill, pondering on what to do now. Chrom then said "Let us sleep for now, Master." Ty nodded and drifted off to sleep, knowing that his journey had begun…


	7. Uneasy Morning

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 6: Uneasy Morning

Ty is stirring awake from the sound of a moving cart, when a fair gruff voice said "Guys! He's coming awake!" Two pair of footsteps scuffled on the wooden cart, suggesting that at least two more individual's is on the cart as well, when another voice, a youthful male, said "Oh man… I hope he didn't have a trauma; that village we picked him up was reduced to a pile of burnt rubble." A third one, an older voice than the other two, replied "I checked him over and he didn't receive any physical trauma, but the way he was shuffling, he was having a bad nightmare. As for any personal effects, all I found was a hatchet, but it was alive and it said—"One of the individuals replied with a guess "'Buzz off?'" The second then said "'I'll chop you like sushi?'" The third voice then replied in an annoyed tone "…Put me down, please. He said 'Put me down, please.' *sigh* I do not know why we had to travel that far from Falana, but we have a code to follow. This young lad, on the floor of the cart, was the only survivor as far as we know. How did he survive an attack like that?" Ty then replied that made the 3 individuals jump "It's a thing called 'Self-Defence'." Ty opened his eyes and saw 3 soldiers with their helmets on their laps, staring at him in surprise: They had steel heavy armor, One of them is a Cat Warmblood, has hazel blue eyes and had short, black hair; another is close to Ty's age, he is also a Wolf Warmblood, has brown eyes and he had short blonde hair; and the third is older than the two, he's a bear Warmblood, has yellow eyes and unlike the two soldiers, he has a long, deep brown hair. Ty then noticed he's with them on a cart through the forest, but doesn't recognise the area he's in. Ty then got up and sat down next to the veteran soldier, who lets him on the bench. Ty then asked "I'm sorry for prying, but who are you guys?" The veteran soldier then said "Me and these two are former members of the army of General Gaius, a genocidal man who views the race known as Moonbloods as 'wastes of creation'. We followed him to eradicate them, some of us, including me and these two lads, aren't in agreement with General Gaiuss, but we couldn't do anything but follow his orders, including, much to our reluctance, killing our own he deems 'Moonblood Sympathisers'. Only two months ago, General Gaius was beaten by a different Warmblood named Dust; the Moonbloods dubbed him 'Seh-Mithrarin', but was perished from the lava as well. After that, we've defected from loyal followers of Gaius and started to help the Moonbloods, mainly from redemption and sympathy. Until a week ago, they were beginning to prosper again and began to set up trading with us Warmbloods." The veteran then expressed concern and Ty felt there is something concern in his expression. The veteran then continued "Then, about a week ago, strange creatures began to appear; they've attacked Warmblood and Moonblood caravans and left no traces after their pillages: no footprints, no signs of scuffles, no wounds on the corpses, nothing. We knew the Moonbloods weren't doing this, but now they've had recently attacked Aurora Village last night… the same night YOUR village was attacked. There was no casualties, thank the Life-Thread, but we know they'll be back." Ty looked shocked and slumped on the edge of the cart, pondering on what the rebel veteran just said: Did the shadow monsters attack just to find him or are they on a genocidal campaign like the late General Gaius was? Either way, Ty knew he can't let them hurt anyone else…

Meanwhile, in Aurora Village, Ginger is sleeping in her bed in a house she had bought from Mayor Bram after the events at Everdawn Basin. She then felt something on her shut eyelids; it was soft, fluffy and snoring… "Fidget…" Ginger mumbled drowsily, but Fidget didn't stir awake and slept on. Ginger then said again, a little louder "Fidget…" The little, orange nimbat then yawned and stretched her little arms; Ginger hoping she was going to get up, but was annoyed when she just slumped to sleep. She then raised her voice "FIDGET!" The nimbat woke up startled and fell off the bed, when Ginger grabbed her tail, looking at Fidget unimpressed "Morning…" Fidget crossed her arms and said sternly whilst upside-down "You too, Ginger…" Ginger then sighed and dropped Fidget on her bed with a *Flump!*, before getting up and stretching her arms, yawning deeply. (The background music is playing 'Come and Get Your Love' by Redbone) Ginger went to the small kitchen area and got out a bit of Louta Flake cereal, a jug of warm milk and a ceramic bowl; she then made her breakfast as Fidget finally got off the bed and flew in the kitchen to get a Feeble Fruit from the fruit bowl. Ginger had her usual auburn hair, but it was messy because she had uneasy sleep lately; Fidget then said "Still not having better sleep, Ginger?" Ginger shook her head, not replying because she is crunching a mouthful of cereal. Fidget then continued after having another bite of Feeble Fruit "Well… I'm not having so much luck finding Dust or Ahrah… or both for that matter. I KNOW they're out there somewhere, I've even checked The Sanctuary… but he's not there either. Reminder: don't go in the house because—"Ginger cuts in after swallowing her cereal "'It's a 24/7 rave party in there.' Yes, you've told me at least twice. *Ginger puts down her spoon and turns to Fidget* Besides, just because Gaius is dead doesn't mean all of his soldiers aren't continuing their work. If anything, Dust is searching for them and ending them; fortunately, not every unit of Gaius felt the same way as he did." Fidget nodded and she finished her Feeble Fruit and threw the seed in the bin as Ginger finished her bowl and washed it clean in the sink along with the spoon before drying them and putting them back. Fidget then said "Still no luck for the Moonblood Refugee's near the village?" Ginger tilted her head and sighed before responding "No… no luck. Calum is insistent that they cannot be trusted, but Bean is the opposite effect. Until there is approval, they're residing outside the walls." Fidget then said "But—"Ginger then replied "Fidget. Calum isn't convinced that they're harmless and much less so when they've got weapons. Believe me, he's so adamant." Fidget tried to say something, but she can't think of anything else; Ginger then sighed and went to the bathroom with her daily clothes under her right arm. She then filled the tub with fairly tepid water and dressed down into her undergarments and putting her pyjamas in the basket, before slipping in the warm tub, sighing in relief. She had a few minutes to ponder… until the front door knocked and Moska's voice rang "Ginger! Are you in there?" Ginger then narrowed her eyes and yelled in response "I'm having a bath, Moska! What is it this time? If it's about Sarahi again…" Moska then yelled "No, actually it's a message from the squad who left last night. The messenger told me to take it to you, personally!" Ginger then sighed and replied "Put it on the kitchen counter, Moska! I'll check it shortly!" Ginger then heard the front door open and heard sandals clipping in the kitchen, then they stopped for a brief moment and they clipped back to the front door and Ginger yelled "Thanks, Moska!" The front door then shut as Ginger said to herself "Well, better get dressed." She then got out of the tub and dried herself with an orange towel and got dressed in her usual attire, before stepping out of the bathroom and noticed a scroll near the sink. She then picked up the scroll and it read ("Found the village; burnt to piles of ashes; found only one survivor, one male Warmblood; found at base of elderly willow tree near sawmill; has an unusual item of interest; bringing him in the morning. Veteran Captain Geoffrey.") Ginger is sceptical about the 'item of interest', when she was startled when Fidget said behind her "What's that about?" Ginger caught the counter just in time, her right hand close to her chest as it rose and fell quickly, then she snapped at Fidget "Will you please stop that! I swear, you'll get me a heart attack if you kept that up." Fidget then drooped her ears and said with a saddened expression "Sorry Ginger, I didn't mean to. I just want to know what the message is about." Ginger looked at Fidget, then sighed and stroked her small head, saying apologetically "I'm sorry too Fidget. I didn't mean to snap at you, just please don't spook me like that." Fidget then looked at Ginger and hugged her; Ginger complied by stroking Fidget's back gently, smiling gently as Fidget smiled as well. Fidget then flew off Ginger and sat on the kitchen counter as Ginger said "Anyway, the message says that the squad heading west last night found a village outside of Falana burnt to the ground, with only one survivor: a male Warmblood. *Fidget looked at Ginger with an unbelieving look on her face* He has an 'item of interest' as well, so they're bringing him sometime from now." Fidget then clapped her paws together and said "Well, let's go to the west side of the village; I wonder what he looks li—uh what the ITEM looks like. *nervous laugh*" Ginger gave an unbelievable look at Fidget and they went outside to see Aurora Village still being repaired, despite being sieged lightly from last night. Ginger and Fidget then went to the west gate, wanting to wait for the squad to come back.

Meanwhile, Ty had just explained to the three rebel soldiers about his backstory and how he had acquired Chrom, who is floating in midair, meditating. The veteran soldier then said "So, you don't remember what happened on the night at Edgecliff Village 12 years ago?" Ty then shook his head and replied "No… but I have this nightmare for 12 years; it feels like a memory, but when I wake up, I cannot recall it." The veteran and the other soldier had a concerning expression, when Chrom said suddenly "Master, we're nearing Aurora Village." Ty and the soldiers leaned on the sides of the cart to see Aurora Village in the distant, as well as dozens of tents on the outside of the village. Ty then asked "Why are there tents?" The veteran soldier then said "It'll be easier to show you, lad."


	8. The Earth Element

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 7: The Earth Element

The cart then stopped at the edge at what Ty saw was a destroyed farm that is now used for Lizard-like individuals. Ty then grabbed Chrom and holstered him on his back as the soldiers got off the cart; Ty then hopped off as the veteran soldier said "Lad, these are the Moonbloods: They're a race that are the physical opposite of us Warmbloods, but they're good hearted folk. They've been hunted until 2 months ago by General Gaius; by those times, they've been almost extinct. Now, they're slowly repopulating again, thanks to the efforts of Dust; their saviour in their darkest hour." Ty looked at the Moonbloods: They have tents as lodgings, have damaged clothing on, have lockets with their loved ones on them and Ty noticed a few young ones among them, sighing in sympathy. Ty then looked at the western entrance and saw two soldiers, not like the ones Ty just came with, standing watch over the entrance. Ty then noticed an Auburn haired Warmblood coming down the hill in the village, accompanied by a small, orange Nimbat. Ty then unholstered Chrom and leaned him on a piece of a chimney, before walking with the soldiers across the encampment; the Moonbloods looked at him in curiosity, making him feel both admired and uncomfortable at the same time. The veteran soldier is stopped by the tall village soldier, who said "Hold it there, Derrick. You know the rules: No outsider is allowed entry unless it's otherwise by the Mayor. And you know we will not allow the Moonbloods until they've proven they aren't in league with those shadow monsters." Derrick then replied "Calum, how many times I've got to tell you, they were hunted by a Genocidal general! They're the victims here, much like you and me. And this lad here, he's—"Calum then replied sternly "Not allowed entry. He may be a Warmblood, but he isn't fit for battle; he doesn't even have a proper weapon." Ty sighed in disbelief and told Derrick he's going to have a few moments to think and turned away to walk near a group of Moonbloods, as Ginger said from behind Calum "At it again, are we gentlemen?" Calum sighed in annoyance and said "What do you want, Ginger?" Ginger then looked past Calum and Derrick and saw Ty and replied "I'm just inquiring about the new guy." Fidget flew a few feet above Ginger and saw Ty passing a bundle of apples to a family of Moonbloods, when her sixth sense came on, but this one is neither treasure nor a key. Calum then remarked "He's just a boy Derrick. I can't bring in every refugee into the village, even if he IS a Warmblood. Besides, how am I supposed to know his combat skills? He doesn't even know a difference between a haft and a pommel. In fact, how can he even fend for himself?" Just as he said that, Ty sensed danger is coming from the north, heading for the encampment; Fidget then turned to her right and said blankly from shock "Uh guys… North?" Derrick, Bean, Calum and Ginger looked at the north and saw a massive group of corrupted earth golems charging towards them. As they were bickering on what to do next, Ty stood up and stuck out his right arm; his hand stretched out as he closed his eyes. Ginger then saw Ty and asked loudly "What is he DOING?!" Her answer wasn't replied because the corrupted earth golems began to merge into a colossal knight made from the very earth; at his chest was a black orb with a dark purple aura. The Moonbloods scuffled to the western entrance and begged to be let in; Calum refusing to let them in because he believed they had summoned him to attack the village. The earth colossus was about 50 metres away when Chrom breathed with the element of ice and flew to his master's hand. The Moonbloods, Ginger, Fidget, Derrick and the other two guards and Bean looked on as the earthen colossus jumped and prepares to crush Ty, when Chrom was caught by Ty and the latter swung Chrom towards the earthen colossus, lifting it off the ground before landing on its back. It looked enraged and got up; Ty noticed the similar orb embedded in the colossus' chest, knowing what he must do. The colossus charged at Ty, when it was surprised when Ty twirled Chrom around and threw him at the colossus' leg, tripping it without fail nor loss of speed. The colossus then went back up, but tripped again as Chrom returned to Ty; Calum then said "Alright, so he can fight…" The colossus got back up, now expressing pain, but more enraged as well. It then picked up a nearby boulder and threw it at Ty, but was devastated when Ty just smashed it with a punch. It then ran to Ty, determined to catch him offguard, when he was surprised that Ty slammed Chrom to the ground and sent a trail of ice towards the colossus, sending out icicles as well and damaging it even more. The colossus then began to pant from fatigue, its fists still clenched with rage; Ginger and Fidget are amazed at Ty's skill with Chrom, which Fidget saying "That's DEFINITELY not an Elysium blade." Ty then said to Chrom "Shall we whip up a storm?" Chrom then glowed icy white as he replied "Gladly, Master." Ty then twirled Chrom quickly as the colossus limped towards Ty, when a violent Blizzard suddenly came; Everyone, save for Ty, shielded the frost as Fidget saw something she can't believe it in front of her eyes: Ty's eyes glow bright white as Chrom spun in pure white energy with the blizzard coming from him only. Ty then swung Chrom, dispersing the blizzard in an instant; the colossus is breathing heavily, his chest exposed. Ty then threw Chrom up in the air and rushed at the colossus as Calum exclaimed "Is he crazy?!" Ty then gripped on the orb and boosted himself and the orb off the colossus, before he threw the orb and caught Chrom before he threw him again and shattered the orb into pieces. Ty then landed on the ground as the colossus just missed him as it collapsed, groaning in immense pain. Ty then stood up and saw the colossus' eyes going from full black to slits, realising that the orb is forcing the host against its will. Ty then called Chrom and holstered him on his back, before apologising for his actions, as the colossus replied "You had little choice… the orb made me do what I would never do… if it weren't for you, I'd have harmed innocents…" Ty then tilted his head down, knowing he had very little choice. The colossus then asked "Young warrior… that weapon you used against me… did it use the element of ice?" Ty breathed deeply, before nodding in reply; Ginger and Fidget squeezed past the Moonbloods and saw Ty talking with the now normal, but dying colossus. The colossus then continued "So it's true? You're the Prime Elementalist?" Ty gave it a thought and recalled a shadow soldier calling him that, before nodding in confirmation, sparking whispers among the Moonbloods. The colossus then gave a weak smile and said "Then please, take this… *the colossus held in his hand an earthen aura* It is the Earth Source. I'm giving what's left of my power to you… Tell the Dark Elemental that you'll do this… for… Crag… aahhhh…" The colossus then passed away, crumbling away into pebbles. Ty then grabbed Chrom and the Earth Source is now fused to Chrom, who began to glow in a bright light and began to change: His handle began to shorten and a sharp pommel grew on the bottom of the handle, the blade formed into a thinner blade and an ancient letter appeared below the embedded letter of frost. As the light died down, Chrom had transformed into an Iron War-Axe, exclaiming "Okay, NOW we're in business!" Ty then smiled at Chrom, when he was startled slightly when Ginger cleared her throat and said "Sorry to bother you, but the way you fought that corrupted colossus… it… well it was…" Fidget then finished for Ginger "Amazing! You are so amazing! I'm a little unsure if you are this Prime Elementalist, but that cinched me when you summoned at least a 6.0 Blizzard! And as for your weapon, it definitely is not an Elysium blade, but it is certainly living!" Calum was speechless after he saw the battle and the hatchet evolving into a War-Axe, then realised that what he saw last night is not a Moonblood and felt guilty of his actions recently, so he let the Moonbloods into the village, as Derrick help them into the village. Ginger smiled as she saw the Moonbloods being accepted into Aurora and turned to Ty, but her expression turned to concern when Ty had a devastated expression. Fidget then whispered in Ginger's ear "Is he alright?" Ginger didn't reply, but she tapped on Ty's shoulder and he apologised for any concern, when Ginger said "Let's take a walk… Ty."


	9. Touring Aurora

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 8: Touring Aurora

Ty holstered Chrom on his back as he entered Aurora with Ginger and Fidget; the refugee Moonbloods aren't welcomed with open arms, in fact, most of the villagers, even Mayor Bram, are skeptical of them, which Ginger whispered in Ty's ear "Don't worry, they'll warm up soon enough." Ty pitied the Moonbloods because the villagers are praising him for defending Aurora; the first is Avgustin, who asked Ty for an arm-wrestle, but Ty refused, mainly because he cannot injure Avgustin, even if he IS a strongman. The second, although he didn't show it, was Gianni and rebuked the Moonbloods for their poor status, which Ty muttered under his breath as he proceeded away from him alongside Ginger and Fidget, who were also cross with Gianni "Rich snotball…" Ty then was introduced to Moska and Sarahi, who were pleased to meet Ty and are the only few people not minding the Moonbloods in their village, notably the children. Ty then saw a tunnel going underground and Fidget explained "That tunnel leads to Cirramon Cavern and Mudpot; it also houses Trolks, Rock-hounds, Florns and Lady Tethas." Ty then replied "Thank you for the info… I'm sorry, I didn't catch your names…" Ginger and Fudget simultaneously facepalmed and Ginger said "Sorry, I should've introduced ourselves; I'm Ginger and this sweet nimbat is Fidget." Fidget them smiled wide and waved her left paw, which Ty replied "Quite pleased to meet you two. I'm glad you're showing me around." Both Ginger and Fidget are pleased that not only Ty is a valiant fighter, but he's well-mannered as well. They then climbed up the ledge leading to the top of the hill and the east side of Aurora village, save for Ty who merely jumped up with a single front flip and landed perfectly. Ty then stood up and explained he wasn't showing off at all, so they proceeded up the hill to see Reed, who is more paranoid than usual, most likely because of the shadow monsters as Ty would guess; Reed just waved at them and they just passed by him and just got on the top of the hill, when Ginger stopped and turned to Ty and gestured to the building they stopped in front of and told Ty "This is where I live. *Ginger then looked down and rubbed her left arm uncomfortably* I used to live in a village up high on the Blackmoor Mountains, but it was ravaged during the campaign of General Gaius and I lost my parents and my brother; I still think about them every day." Ty sighed out of compassion and replied "I'm sincerely sorry; if it's any consolation, I lost loved ones too. I just lost my village and my foster parents because of those shadow monsters and I vowed to protect anyone against those heartless monsters." Ginger smiled a bit at that comment and said "I'm glad you understand what I feel; I'm also sorry about your predicament. At least you're this 'Prime Elementalist', although I've never heard of such a being." Ty shrugged and said "So, shall we go on with the walk, or..?" Ginger then nodded quickly and lead Ty down the hill, showing him Mordecai's Store, the twins Coleen and Corbin, the elderly couple Oneida and Geehan and introduced Ty to Mayor Bram, who is having a concerned talk with Fale about resources for the village. Mayor Bram then said "Ah, you must be the lad who defeated that Earth Colossus! I must say, you look fairly light and toned as well." Ty then replied with an awkward smile "Well, ah… That's kind of you to say, your honor. I just can't let that unwilling creature to destroy this lovely village." Mayor Bram chucked lightly and said "Such modesty and such manners as well! Well, as you can see, Aurora had been battered last night by these shadow creatures; the same time that YOUR village had been perished as well. We thought the Moonbloods had been in league with these monsters, but personally, I do not believe that." Ty sighed and replied sympathetically "Yeah… I guess we've all been through hell… Aurora is lucky there no casualties, but mine… not so much. *sigh* I'll do what I can to help, Mayor Bram." Mayor Bram looked at Ty with concern, as well as Ginger and Fidget, before he continued "Well, we need help getting supplies for our village. Those shadow villains had damaged some buildings and trashed Mordecai's shop, but didn't hurt anyone; we need some supplies from the forge at Archer's Pass, but I'm uncertain that any of us, even the Gaius rebels, can obtain them, on account that elemental creatures had recently appeared there." Ty then notes that he can get the supplies for Aurora and asked "Is there anyone who resides at the forge?" Mayor Bram rubbed his chin and replied "Well… yeah actually. There's the blacksmith, Jonathan; he's renown throughout the world, and his children, Haley and Matti." Ty then swore he saw Ginger clenched her hands into fists as Mayor Bram mentioned Haley, then said "Okay Mayor Bram, I'll get the supplies." Fidget then suddenly spoke up "Wait Ty! If you're going there, can you check if Dust is there?" Ty turned to Fidget with a puzzled expression and replied "Why?" Fidget looked at Ginger, who is looking angry and she simply responded "I'm just concerned, that's all." Ty then shrugged and agreed to Fidget's request before exiting the eastern gate and Fidget said to Ginger, apparently annoyed "Seriously Ginger, what have you got against her?" Ginger then replied, albeit gruffly "I don't want to talk about it, Fidget…" Fidget then sighed in annoyance, knowing that Ginger has a bad history with Haley, but isn't sure what it is.


	10. Supply Run

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 9: Supply Run

Ty arrived at Archer's Pass and saw groups of Avee's and Imps scuffling against Earth Golems and Lesser Air Elementals, which Ty muttered under his breath "This'll be a hellish climb, I just know it." Ty then holstered Chrom and used his newfound Earth abilities against the monsters; he realised that each element has different effects and different powers. He held up his left arm to summon a hardened earth shield and it took many blows from the monsters before Ty jumped up and smashed the ground with his bare hands to summon earth fists to damage the Imps and Golems. He then recently realised he can use physical ranged attacks as well… in a sense. He swung his right arm to throw slabs of earth against the Lesser Air Elementals and the Avee's, both were grounded and taken out as well. Ty then exclaimed "There's going to be more surprises when I obtain more elemental sources, I'm certain of it." Chrom then replied "I share your enthusiasm, Ty. Let's proceed upwards, we must get the supplies for the village." Ty nodded and continued upwards, going through more Imps, Golems, Avee's, Lesser Air Elementals and even a Giant before coming upon a Blomb. Ty then noticed that there are more Blombs further high up the pass and he said "Ohh… perfect." Chrom sighed and switched to Ice Element, before Ty used Blizzard after Blizzard as he proceeded up the pass, hoping the supplies are up there at the forge. He then got to the area where the forge is supposed to be, when he saw vines on the wall and saw a trail of smoke coming out of a hole, where Ty knows it HAS to be the forge. He then used a few more Blizzards before coming onto a catwalk and the blombs decided to go down a pipe, which Ty replied "Ohh… great! I hope there isn't any civilians down there!" He then came to the pipe and overheard two individuals arguing: An older male and a young Female. The older Male said "Haley, I've told you a hundred times: blombs aren't pets, they're dangerous beasts." The young female named Haley then replied sternly "Dad, they keep the other monsters out! If we don't bother them, they don't bother us! Why won't you believe that?" Haley's father then said "I DO believe it Haley, but I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt by anything or anyone! Now, I'm telling you for the last time, tell those Blombs OOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!" Haley's father screamed because the Blombs that Ty had scared came out from the pipe above the forge and floated away from the forge, also swarming Haley's dad as they passed by him. Haley looked up at the pipe and said "I think someone is up in the cellar…" Ty heard another individual, but it was grumbling in annoyance and Haley replied "What is it Matti? Is it a customer or just a soldier?" Haley's father then said "It doesn't matter what your brother thinks, Haley. If it's someone who needs something, that's what matters." Ty then heard the third individual, likely Matti, speaking "I just hope it's not Dust…" Haley then spoke up, rather surprised "Matti? Why don't you like Dust?" Matti then shouted a little in response "I just get this bad vibe from him! I mean honestly, why didn't YOU notice my dislike for him when he first came here?" Haley then shouted back, apparently hurt "I do not know Matti, but I feel like I've known him before! Besides, first impressions are always entirely wrong!" Matti's and Haley's father then cuts in "Hold on you two… Do either of you know that Dust is coming? Or that he's above right now?" Just as he said that, Ty slipped his hand and fell down the pipe, landing face-first on the ground, saying "Owww…" Both Matti and his father snickered at what happened, but Haley just walked to Ty and helped him off the ground, dusting off the… well dust off him. Ty apologised for intruding on their conversation and asked "Do you guys have any supplies to spare for Aurora Village?" Jonathan then replied as he rubbed is chin "I guess? Why do you ask?" Ty then explained what had happened to Aurora Village last night and of his errand, which Jonathan replied "Well lad, I'd be more than willing to share with what we have, especially after what you've explained. But we can't leave the forge on account of those rock golems; the lesser Air Elementals, I can literally handle." Ty then gave a moment to think, when behind him a larger rock golem stood up behind him, frightening Haley, Matti and their father, which Ty notices and said "It's behind me, isn't it?" As they nodded in confirmation, the rock colossus grabbed Ty and threw him to its feet on his back; Ty then said in a fair bit of pain "I really hate Colossus'…" The rock colossus then looked back at Haley, Matti and Jonathan and gave a smirk, as Ty got back up and wielded Chrom, who is enveloped with sub-zero essence and started to twirl him. The rock colossus almost reached for Haley, who is tearing up in fear of death, when it stopped and its eyes sockets widened; Haley then felt a sudden chill, as well as Matti and their father, before they saw Ty hovering in the air whilst twirling Chrom, who said to the colossus "Let's try that again… Rocko." Ty's eyes then glowed pure white and summoned a more powerful blizzard, making the rock colossus roar in anger and damaging it lethally as well, before it threw a boulder at Ty, who caught it and threw it back, when it suddenly combined with the blizzard to make a sub-zero projectile and staggered the colossus heavily. Ty then realised he can combine two elements to make a more powerful attack, when the colossus threw a punch at Ty, but he dodged it and switched to earth element and dived towards the rock colossus, turning himself into an Earthen Avatar and pierced the Rock Colossus from head to toe; landing with his fist on the ground and marking it as the Rock Colossus fell away from the forge and crumbled into many boulders. Ty looked at the remains and said "Sorry pal, but I can't let innocents be harmed." Ty then dissipated his Earthen Avatar and had a sudden thought: If he can be in the air with Ice, why not with Earth as well? He then looked up and saw Haley's, Matti's and Jonathan's astonished faces, which he gets that effect from people, before he jumped up and a cone of whirling jagged stones appeared from below him; Ty's theory is confirmed, so he boosted a couple of times upwards before landing with a roll and a stop in the forge. He then holstered Chrom and turned to Jonathan and said "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare you guys." There was a few moments of awkward silence before Haley finally broke it "It's okay. We weren't aware that a Colossus is in the area, so thank you for saving us, I guess." Ty then shrugged and replied "Not a problem… except when he threw me on the ground… near his feet. *Ty turned to Jonathan* Now… I hate to be in a hurry, but I must get those supplies to Aurora Village." Jonathan then nodded and went to fetch a messenger raven and wrote a note on a piece of paper before rolling it into a scroll and tied it to a leg on the raven and sent it off, before replying "Your request will arrive at Denham Village shortly. However, if another Colossus comes, we cannot risk losing anything, so me and my children will come with you to Aurora Village and stay there until the danger has passed." Both Haley and Matti are surprised to hear this, but know that Aurora is the safest bet for safety… well, their best guess at 'Safe' anyway. Ty then said "All right then, I'll get you guys to Aurora then."

After a few minutes of packing, Ty lead from the front and took care of the Avee's, Imps, Rock Golems and Lesser Air Elementals whilst Haley, Matti and their father followed, albeit cautiously. As they got near the edge of Aurora, a large bundle of Rock Golems stood in the way. Ty then had an idea and twirled Chrom around, covering him in a sawblade made of earth and threw him towards the Rock Golems, blowing them into the trees as he came to and fro. Ty then caught Chrom and told him "Nice work, pal." Chrom then replied "The pleasure was all mine, Master." Ty then smiled and holstered Chrom into his sheathe before leading Haley, Matti and Jonathan into Aurora Village.

As they arrived, they saw containers full of sawn logs, nails, hinges, locks and other building material, which Ty exclaimed "By the Life-Thread, that WAS quick!" Jonathan then chuckled and replied "Yeah… my contacts are nothing if not efficient. Tell me lad, are you proficient at Carpentry?" Ty then replied "Well, I've helped at a Sawmill for 12 years and assisted in occasional building repairs, so yeah. Pretty much." Jonathan smiled and replied "That's what I like to hear. Come on, let's repair the town." Ty nodded and lifted the containers with Nails and Sawn Logs over his head with little restraint, when Mayor Bram said from afar "Ty! I'm glad you've got the supplies! There's been no sudden attacks so far, but that can happen anytime. *Mayor Bram notices Jonathan and his children Haley and Matti* Ah, Jonathan! How nice to meet you again! How was your trip at sea?" Jonathan replied as Ty carried the Nails and Sawn Logs up the hill "Very excellent, Bram! I've discovered some new minerals and got some ones I've already collected in my previous travels. However, shortly ago, the forge was attacked by a Rock Colossus. If it weren't for Ty, We'd probably be perished." Mayor Bram then rubbed his chin and replied in concern "Funnily enough, Aurora had been attacked by an Earthen Colossus, but Ty had taken care of him as well. However, the one that attacked Aurora has a black orb embedded into its chest." Haley is curious about the orb that Mayor Bram had just mentioned, but decides to let it slide until she sees a pattern. Jonathan then said "Well, I'd better help Ty with repairing the buildings. *Jonathan turns to Haley and Matti* You two can explore Aurora if you wish." Haley and Matti nodded, then they went into different directions of Aurora.


	11. Memories Past I

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 10: Memories Past I

Ty carried the building supplies to a damaged house near Mordecai's General Store and placed them gently before he unsheathed Chrom and said "Hey pal, I've gotta do some repairs. How about you hang around with Fidget for a bit 'til I've finished?" Chrom then replied "Well… okay, but I'll be on guard." Ty nodded and Chrom floated up the hill, prompting Ty to grab a handful of Nails, some roof plates and a hammer before jumping up to the roof in a single bound. He notices there are a few holes in the roof, so he went to each hole and patched them with precise hammering. As he was patching the roof, Ginger is watching him with interest through the front window, wondering if he can help her with a personal problem. However, she was snapped out of her trance with a startle when Fidget asked her suddenly "Did he find Dust, Ginger?" Ginger turned and groaned in annoyance to see it was only Fidget and replied "I don't think so, Fidget. Seriously, you've GOT to stop doing that!" Fidget then became cross and said "Hey, it wasn't MY fault that you're having these trances! You've been having them ever since we've left Everdawn Basin and frankly, it's starting to bug me!" Ginger then narrowed her eyes and raised her voice at Fidget "Well, it wasn't me who opened Reed's BOX in the first place! *Fidget expressed regret* Yeah, Reed told me what happened whilst I went across the Blackmoor Mountains." Fidget then clenched her paws and raised her voice back "I wasn't AWARE of the evil entity in that damn box! Or that it would hurt Dust!" Ginger then gritted her teeth and yelled "Pay attention next time then, you flying weasel! No wonder you lost Ahrah in the first place!" Fidget then yelled back "At least I don't have a brother, you hollowed piece of life!" Fidget went too far, because Ginger started to tear up and laid her head on the counter and began to sob. Fidget then regretted what she had said and tried to apologise, but only said "Ginger, I'm—"Ginger then lashed out at Fidget "GET OUT! GOOOO!" Fidget didn't need telling twice; she flew off like a bat out of hell and distanced herself from Ginger's house, when she bumped into Chrom, who said "Oh, sorry Fidget. I was looking for you, but I didn't mean to bump into you." Fidget then gave a deep sigh and remarked "It's okay Chrom. I just need some time away from Ginger…" Chrom had sensed that Fidget gave harsh verbal exchanges to Ginger and replied "I see… Well, Ty let me off his leash for the moment; he's repairing the building near Mordecai's General Shop at the moment." Fidget flew a bit higher and saw Ty patching up the last hole, when he noticed her and gave a gentle wave at her, which she smiled and waved back before she flew back to Chrom. Fidget then said to Chrom "So Chrom… You're not an Elysium Blade, but not a mortal weapon either; What weapon are you?" Chrom then replied "I… I do not know. I somehow can house the elements, even without my master. Perhaps I'm an elemental Weapon, but it doesn't explain why I can house more than one element OR can merge two elements into a more powerful force." Fidget placed her right paw underneath her chin and wondered if this was an ancient weapon, then she said "Do you remember anything before you've met Ty?" Chrom then replied "Only a memory… I was made and being held by a being of pure light. I saw darkness seeping into the room and he whispered to me; an enchantment undoubtedly 'Whoever holds this weapon, those of a pure heart and incorruptibility, those who has shown true compassion, shall wield the power of the elements.' After that, I was thrown out of the window; I saw it was a tall, pristine white fortress on the edge of a craggy mountain, being invaded by the same shadow monsters that Ty and I had encountered last night. And there was… something in the background, something… powerful. That's all I remember, I'm afraid." Fidget widened her eyes and clasped her mouth, thinking ("So it's true? There really is a ninth Elementalist Weapon and I'm talking to it? I can't believe it…") She was surprised when Ty said "Hey Fidget! *Ty looked peaceful, then expressed concern as he looked at her* Is there a problem?" Fidget looked at Ty and sighed before replying "No… no problem Ty. I just had an argument with Ginger; She's really upset right now." Ty had a feeling that Fidget said the wrong thing, so he went up the hill to Ginger's house, placing the building materials and hammer against the stone wall and knocked on the door. Ginger then said through the door, sounding despairingly "Who is it? If it's YOU Fidget, go away…" Ty then replied "It's Ty…" There was a moment of silence, then Ty heard a lock being… well, unlocked and Ginger opened it: She had bloodshot eyes, albeit faintly, had tear streaks down her cheeks and sniffed every 10 seconds. Ty expressed concern and said "Fidget told me you've had an argument with each other… I just want to know what it is about." Ginger leered at Ty, but he was unfazed by it, so Ginger let him in, with a slight reluctance. Ty then sat down at the dining table and Ginger sat opposite of him; She looked reluctant to speak about the argument, but Ty then said "I'm not looking for an argument, Ginger; I just want to know what Fidget said that had upset you." Ginger looked up at Ty and noticed he isn't bluffing, so she made a sigh and explained "Well, I was in a trance as I was watching you doing repairs; I've had these trances ever since Gaius' defeat about 2 months ago. Fidget then snapped me out of my trance, startling me as well and scolded her to stop doing it. We then argued and argued until… *sob* until she mentioned my deceased brother." Ginger began to sob again, so Ty grabbed a Tissue Box from the counter behind him and placed it on the table; he then grabbed a few tissues and gave them to Ginger, who opened her eyes slightly and accepted them, saying "Thank you…" She then blew her nose on the tissues, before breathing in and out deeply in calm paces and settled down. Ty then said "I'm sorry to hear about your late brother. I might not have any siblings of my own, but I understand losing the ones we love. However…" Ty then felt uneasy and Ginger said with concern "What's wrong?" Ty looked up at Ginger and she is worried about him; it reminded him of Cheryl, wherever she is now, hopefully safe. Ty then sighed and replied "Well… it sounds crazy… but I swear it happened before… years ago. But all I can recall is in a dream… feels like a nightmare, really. A horrible nightmare." Ginger felt pity for Ty and asked "What happened in the nightmare?" Ty sighed and replied with regret "Unfortunately, I cannot remember it. I don't know why though…" Ginger feels there is some resemblance from Ty, but isn't positive completely, so she asks "Is there someone else from the village during the raid?" Ty then sighed a little calmly and replied "Yeah. It had a Mayor as well: Mayor Grif. There was also the village guard, an Innkeeper, an arrogant bully named Patrick, an elderly couple who worked the Sawmill; they're my foster parents and some girls about my age and a few kids as well." Ginger had picked up on the elderly fosters and made a sly grin at Ty when he mentioned there are girls there at his age and said "So, you've got the hots for the girls, right?" Ty is surprised and made an awkward laugh before replying "I… I guess? Well, I mean… Look, I'm not a ladies man, I just attracted attention from 3 girls that were referred to as 'The Three Daisies'. There's another girl and she recently broke up with Patrick; this girl I actually have an interest in, but Patrick is sort of a barrier between us. I recently learned she actually has an interest in me too, but her father wouldn't allow me with her." Ginger sighed and said "I see your pity, Ty. *Ginger gave a thought and continued* Actually, about my brother Jin, he's actually smitten with a daughter of a famous blacksmith one week before I've lost him." Ty then went wide-eyed and said "A daughter of a famous blacksmith? *Ginger nodded and she added in* Also a little brother, no smaller than a gopher." Ty nodded awkwardly and asked "What happened at that time?" Ginger felt uneasy and replied "Well, Jin and the daughter were… HERE!" Ginger suddenly stood up and glared at the front window and Ty turned to see why: Haley is speaking to Fidget and Fidget just buried her face behind her paws as Haley smiled and blushed deeply. Ty turned back to Ginger and said "What did Haley—"The was a sudden slam and Ty saw through the window that Ginger is angry at Haley, hence why she began yelling at her before Ty finished "Do." Ty sighed and exited the house to hear Ginger yelling at Haley "I haven't forgotten what happened that year OR what you and my own brother had almost been a week before!" Haley looked startled and said, apparently scared "I… I swear, I didn't know the boulder was loose as we were—"Ginger then suddenly grasped Haley's shirt and said "Don't tell me lies! I SAW you mouthing Jin near the caves, NEAR that loose boulder!" Haley is looking terrified and replied "I SWEAR… I swear I didn't know about that boulder being loose… I'd never intended to put anyone in danger… especially Jin." Ty swear he heard Ginger growl in anger, but thankfully Avgustin pulled them apart before it went worse. Ty saw Haley tear up in fear, as Ginger flailed angrily when she is being held back by Avgustin. An elderly voice then rang from the west slope "Ginger, Enough!" They turned to the west to see Elder Grey-Eyes coming up with his cane; he eyed Ty and gave a gentle nod before speaking to Ginger "This isn't the time for hostilities. This young woman as no desire to harm nor to fight at all, ergo, she'd never hurt Jin." Ginger then gave a thought and sighed deeply and opened her mouth to apologise, but the damage was done: Haley pelted off from Aurora through the east entrance, leaving behind a trail of tears. Ty then heard Matti yelling "Haley! Wait!" Jonathan followed suit "Children! Hold up!" Ty then looked at Ginger and saw her feel very bad about herself and turned to Elder Grey-Eyes, who shook his head and said to Ginger "So Ginger, you say this lad has used a blizzard? *Ginger nodded* And he has a special hatchet that had evolved into an Iron War-Axe? *Ginger nodded again* How interesting… I've heard stories, but if what I heard is actual facts, then the rumors are true: There is a ninth Elementalist Weapon; one that can hold all 8 Elemental Essences." Ty is puzzled, but Chrom flew by his side and asked Elder Grey-Eyes "I beg my pardon, but what are you talking about?" Elder Grey-Eyes then replied "Let me explain…"


	12. The Lost Prothecy

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 11: The Lost Prophecy

Elder Gray-Eyes led the group to the Moonblood Encampment at the west gate and gathered them around the campfire; Chrom hovered near Ty whilst glowing ice-white. Elder Gray-Eyes then started "Now, we've heard in history about the beginning of Falana, before the time the Warmbloods, before even the Moonbloods had established on these lands. There were 8 Elements created: Water, Earth, Fire, Air, Frost, Storm, Light and Dark. Each had a Master of each respective element; the most prominent were the masters of Light and Dark. The other masters of the elements had to choose who would rule them and they chose the Light Master, leaving the Dark Master to despise the others. The Light Master had helped shape the face of Falana with the other elemental Masters, but The Dark Elemental has vanished into the shadows, plotting for vengeance. During the making of Falana, The Elementals had crafted their own unique weapons from their respected elements, but aren't aware of the danger that will befall upon Falana." Ty, Ginger, Chrom and Avgustin listened intently as Fidget began to droop sleepily; Elder Gray-Eyes then continued "It wasn't for a whole week until the Dark Elemental Master had begun his campaign to overthrow the other Elemental Masters with his own Shadow Army. All but the Light Elemental Master aren't aware of the looming threat, so the Light Master had made soldiers of pure light as he convinced the other Elemental Masters to craft their warriors from their respective elements, which they did without dissent. The Master of the Water Element had crafted from the very seas the Hydra and numerous amounts of Water soldiers; The Master of the Fire Element had crafted an Elder Dragon from the Everdawn Basin and numerous amounts of Molten Rock Soldiers; The Master of the Earth Element had crafted a Rock Colossus as tall as the peak of the Blackmoor Mountains and Rock Golems, as well as giving the soldiers of the Water and Fire Elements some heavy armor made from the earth; The Master of the Air Element had crafted Djinn's from the very winds and granted the elements a protective wind Aura to prevent projectiles from making contact; The Masters of Frost and Storm Elements had made their own respective creatures: The Frost Master had made a tall Frost Giant and legions of Frost Trolls, as The Storm Master had made The Kraken and Lightning Bugs…" Fidget picked up at this and snickered at the thought of Lightning Bugs being dangerous, but was stopped by being nudged in the arm by Ginger, who told her to behave in a soft whisper, before Elder Gray-Eyes continued "…But the Dark Elemental Master had anticipated this and, considering his malicious nature, lets his soldiers take heavy casualities and let the other Elemental Masters have the false hope of winning. After a few years, the war was coming to an end with the Dark Army seemingly lost the battle, but the other Elementals were taken by surprise when The Dark Master had summoned his own creation: It was the same height as the Rock Colossus, but it was more bulkier, more menacing and much more relentless. It cleaved through the opposing army like a piece of paper and The Dark Master had charged with an increased number of Shadow soldiers, much more than the ones who initiated the war. The Light Elemental Master then had an idea and summoned the other Elemental Masters into his throne room…" Elder Gray-Eyes stopped for a minute and looked at Chrom and Ty, before he continued "It is with belief that the 7 Elemental Masters had the idea of crafting a weapon that can house the 8 Elements; with the Dark Army being so close, The Light Elemental Master had no choice but to bring a mediocre weapon as their last hope. As they've enchanted the primitive weapon – no offense Chrom *'None Taken.'* - the Dark Army had just barged through the gates, going up to the throne room. The Light Elemental Master then made one last Enchantment to ensure the weapon would not go in the wrong hands before throwing it out of the window as The Dark Elemental Master had barged into the Throne Room; It is with belief that the Elements have perished on that day and The Dark Elemental Master has been banished into the Dark Realm." There was a few moments of silence, when Fidget suddenly said "So, let me get this straight: There was a war before even the Moonbloods were born into the world, consisting of 8 Elemental Masters; one of them broke off and plotted to take over all of Falana with an Army consisting of Shadows, had let loose a creature known only as 'The Beast' that went through the opposing army like it was just paper, the other 7 elemental masters had made one more weapon that can house all 8 elements and can possibly defeat the whole shadow army and maybe even 'The Beast' and The Dark Elemental Master and it all falls down to one person who has a pure heart, cannot be corrupted and has a deep sense of compassion?" Elder Gray-Eyes nodded and replied "Yes Fidget. That's an accurate summation of the past and the present; However, Chrom has only got 2 Elemental sources embedded in him; unless we get the other six elemental sources, we have no hope against The Dark Elemental Master and his army." Ty gripped tightly on the stump, sweating in a fit of fear, when Ginger felt pity for Ty and gently placed her hand on Ty's, who felt calmer instantaneously and said "But why me? True, I'd never wanted to go over to the Dark side, but I'm not so certain about compassion…" Ginger then replied "It's because you know loss. You've witnessed 2 instances of losing loved ones and felt sorry for those who've lost them as well." Ty then breathed deeply and exhaled slowly before saying "Alright, I'll stop the Dark Elemental Master. But I'm gonna have to find more Elemental Sources in order to stand a chance against the Shadow Army." Elder Gray-Eyes nodded, when Fidget said "Actually, I think I know where to find the Air Source; it's a long shot, but I think it might be in Denham Village." Ginger then replied "What makes you think that?" Fidget then said "Well… Haley told me about Dust… She last saw him 2 days ago after they… well, I'd better not share that bit, but she did say he went into the direction of Abadis Forest." Ginger leered at Fidget, suspicious on what Fidget is hiding, when Ty suddenly said "Alright, Denham Village it is! But we'd better rest up first before heading off." Ginger sighed and replied "Well, you can rest in my house, there's a secondary cot for guests." Ty nodded and headed up to Ginger's house with Ginger; they then got changed into their sleepwear, which Ginger is stunned to see Ty's toned body hidden underneath his day clothing. Ty then let Chrom off of the Sheathe and he went into sentry mode before he and Ginger went into separate cots and slept instantly…


	13. Long Road to Denham

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 12: Long road to Denham

*" _They're here! Quick Molly, get Tyrell_!"* *" _What do you think you're doing, Marshal_?"* *" _I'm trying to fend them off! Get Ty and run; GO!_ "* ( _sound of ferocious growl seeping into living room_ ) *" _Molly, GO NOW! AAAAAHHHHH-Hurrkk_ …"* ( _Sound of woman crying out loudly, she whimpers as monster nears her with ethereal blade drawn_ ) *" _No… No! NOOOOOOO_ …"*

Ty woke up startled, his face sweating, his eyes widened with shock and breathing heavily; he then looked around and saw Ginger sleeping peacefully in her bed, then he turned to the kitchen area and saw Chrom still on guard near the front door; he then sighed and got out of the bed and sneaked over to the kitchen sink as to not wake up Ginger or Fidget. He then ran the tap under his paws and washed his face thoroughly before drying it with a nearby facewash. He then looked outside and saw the sun's rays just coming up from the horizon. Ty then sighed and got dressed into his daily clothing before getting out of the house, wanting to get some exercise before travelling to Denham Village near Abadis Forest. He then went down the eastern slope and saw a stump with firewood and a hatchet, so he went over and began chopping the firewood. He did it as per usual: He puts a Firewood log on the stump, twirled the hatchet and chopped it in half, leaving the pieces to fall on the piles on either side of the stump. Half an hour has passed and Ty has already chopped approximately 75 logs and is about to chop another when Mordecai exclaimed "Oh my! You ARE quite proficient with wood chopping, aren't you? I was about to cut them myself, but you've done the work for me!" Ty then held the hatchet on his right shoulder and replied "Sorry for not speaking to you first, I just want to do a little exercise until I can head off for Denham Village. *Mordecai nodded his head in understanding* Um, how many Firewood do you need in stock, exactly?" Mordecai then replied "Just only 5 dozen of them. Considering you've exceeded that quota, I'll pay you some gold for your proficient effort." Mordecai gave Ty 150 gold, when Chrom exclaimed "Master! Where are you?!" Ty sighed and thanked Mordecai for the currency before rushing up the hill to see Ginger, Fidget and Chrom just exiting the house with Ginger carrying camping gear on her back. She then asked "I thought you've left ahead of us?" Ty shook his head and explained that he just woke up earlier than them and went to do a bit of wood cutting near Mordecai's store. Ginger nodded in understanding, but Fidget felt there is something that Ty isn't telling them; Ty then offered to carry the camping equipment for Ginger, who looked a bit red on her face. Ginger then passed the gear to Ty and he said "Well, let's get going then." Ty then took the lead with Chrom holstered on his belt as Ginger and Fidget exchanged worried glances about Dust.

Meanwhile, at the edge of Denham Village, Haley, Matti and Jonathan are looking for Dust after Haley has resolved to find him, with or without help. She then saw to her own horror that Denham has been in ruins for a couple of months and saw no signs of life, except for the local monsters, but they're cowering in fear from something. Haley then heard fast-paced footsteps coming in front of her and saw to her relief that it was Dust, but felt concerned when she saw his clothing ripped from something sinister. Dust then yelled "Guys! Run!" Haley then saw that a giant monster has emerged from the cliff ahead, much to her own horror.

Back on the route to Denham, Ty saw a large quantity of Imps in front of him and told Ginger and Fidget to stand back and wielded Chrom; he then twirled Chrom in rapid movements and threw him towards the Imps, turning into an earthen circular Sawblade and blew the Imps aside like they were just bugs. Fidget then exclaimed "That… was awesome." Ginger then replied "Without a doubt, Fidget. Without a doubt." Ty then held out his right hand and Chrom flew back to him like a boomerang before being caught in the handle by Ty. Ty then sheathed Chrom and proceeded towards Denham, taking care of any hostiles with ease, when he came upon a Nimbat Doll that looks like Fidget. Fidget then flew to the Doll instantly and said "Dust… He has to be nearby!" Ty then heard wind from above and made an accurate guess he'll be encountering An Air Elemental, so he said "Sorry to be impatient guys, but we should get going." Fidget sighed and agreed, before passing the Fidget Doll to Ginger, who thinks it is adorable, much like Fidget herself. They then continued upwards, encountering rock golems, Avee's, Imps, Giants and Lesser Air Elementals, which Ty mentally notes ("We're must be near Denham.") They then passed by a bridge below Denham, when Ty suddenly stopped and felt sadness above, the same sadness he felt when his village was destroyed. Fidget then said "Ty? Are you okay?" Ty was still for a few moments, before he replied "Sorry, I shouldn't have stopped… Let's get going." Ty then proceeded forward as Fidget and Ginger exchanged worried glances before catching up with Ty. They then climbed up some platforms as Ty took care of the Florn's on the way up, before they've reached the path leading to Denham Village. Fidget then flew in front of Ty and said "Ty, before we head into Denham, there's something you must know." Ty then guessed "The village is destroyed. I kinda sensed it from below." Fidget's ears droop with surprise and said "How can you tell?" Ty looked at Fidget, who is concerned about him, before sighing and replied "Because it's the exact same sadness I've experienced when my village was destroyed. I saw my foster parents corpses when I've evacuated the townsfolk from the raid and… well, it feels like I've had that feeling before." Fidget then felt sorry for Ty and gave him a little hug, who complied gladly and stroked her back gently. Fidget then flew again and said "You know, for a woods-boy, you are gentle." Ty smiled and replied "That's kind of you to say, Fidget. Now, we'd better get going." Fidget nodded and they proceeded to Denham, with Ty having an idea.


	14. The Air Source

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 13: The Air Source

Ty, Ginger and Fidget came to Denham and saw it, much to Fidget's blank expression, charred still after Dust had battled Fuse 2 months earlier. Ty then heard sobbing and turned to see Ginger crying, apparently sad that Denham was killed by an enraged Fuse, when Fidget patted her back and comforted her. Ty understood her predicament, when he heard something from behind and slowly reached for Chrom, before turning around and clashed Chrom with a unique blade being wielded by a white-furred Warmblood, with his clothing shredded. Ty widened his eyes and said "I'm guessing you're Dust?" Ginger then opened her watery eyes and saw to her relief that Dust is… more or less okay as Fidget flew to him like a bat out of hell and gave him a tight hug. Ty then added "I'll take that as a 'yes'." Dust then hugged Fidget back and saw Ginger crying tears of joy; he then let Ahrah float in the air and proceeded to Ginger, saying "Hey Ginger." Ginger cried a bit more before hugging Dust, burying her face in his chest as Dust hugged her back, shedding a few tears himself before they released and Ginger said "I've been wondering where you've been these last 2 months. What you've been up to?" Dust then rubbed the back of his head and replied, albeit awkwardly "Well, Ginger… I WOULD tell you, but now's not the perfect time exactly…" Ginger then said in a puzzled tone "Why not?" Dust sighed and explained that a week prior to present, he's been attacked by shadow monsters and other elemental creatures. He was about to continue, when Ty heard a low gust picking up speed from behind him. Ty turned around to see Haley, Matti and Jonathan running towards them, screaming their heads off; Dust turned just as Haley crashed into him and she said "Its back Dust! It's coming back!" Ty is puzzled as to what is returning, to hear a howling wind and a colossal Air Elemental had appeared, which to Ty's unsurprisingly expression, has been embedded with another black orb. It then beckoned a fist in its right hand and raised it, preparing to crush them, when Ty had let Chrom float in mid-air and walked towards it, before picking up his pace and transformed into his earthen avatar, before jumping up towards the colossal Air Elemental and floated in the air with hovering rock shrapnel. Dust looked up and saw Ty ready to attack the colossal Air Elemental, exclaiming "What is he doing?" Fidget looked up and recalled Ty's battle against the Earth Colossus at Aurora and simply replied "Watch and learn, Dust." The Air Colossus swing his arm across to swat Ty aside, but Ty anticipated this and boosted upwards, throwing earth bombs at the colossus as he went over its head, before landing on his feet without a fuss. The Air colossus then growled antagonistically and threw his arm down to Ty, who dodged it before summoning an earth bubble (shrapnel circling his whole body at rapid pace) and did an earthen whip downwards before summoning an earthen javelin and threw it at the black orb embedded in the Air colossus' chest. It then shattered into fragments as the Air Colossus' iris returned, indicating it is back to normal. Ty then dispersed the shrapnel and summoned Chrom back before sheathing him in his belt; he then said to the Air Colossus "Sorry about that fight, but you've had a black orb embedded into your chest." The Air Colossus looked at the pieces of the destroyed orb and replied, revealing to be a female "Thank you young man. I've been under that sinister orb's power for days, doing things I wouldn't do at all! *The Air Colossus glanced at Chrom* You… you're the prophesised Prime Elemental… I've heard rumors, but I'd never imagined…" Ty nodded, before the Air Colossus continued "Well, I see you've already got the elements of Frost and Earth. But without all eight Elements, fighting the Shadow Master and his army will be fruitless. I shall gift you the Air source; it will help you on your journey." The Air Colossus then clasped her hands together and summoned the Air Source before giving it to Ty. Ty then unsheathed Chrom and absorbed the Air Source, before transforming in a sudden whirlwind: Chrom's Blade has shifted from Iron to Steel, his handle has changed to a leathery grip with a spherical pommel and another ancient letter has been magically etched on the blade. Ty then turned to see surprised expressions from Dust, Haley, Matti, Jonathan and Ahrah (Although Chrom can see his expression exclusively), before Dust said "I ain't messing with him." Ahrah then replied "Don't look at me…" The Air Colossus then bid them farewell and flew somewhere else, when Ty twirled Chrom fluently and Fidget said "So Dust, what have you and Ahrah been doing during the last 2 months?"

Dust explained to Fidget and Ginger as they walked back to Aurora that he was tracking down the remaining Gaius Loyalists all over Falana, then 2 week prior presently, he visited Haley's Forge for, as he puts it, a little catch up. Fidget looked at Dust slyly and replied "What did you two do?" Dust just stammered, surprised that Fidget has a feeling that he didn't just 'talk' with Haley, when a large group of Imps stood in their way. Ty then wielded Chrom and activated the Air powers, before twirling at a rapid pace and threw Chrom at the Imps in a small vortex, which sent them flying up high, one of them exclaiming a Wilhelm scream (A/N: Honestly, can you blame me? It sounds like a perfect fit, really); Ty and the others looked up in the sky for a few moments, wondering if they're coming down, before they crashed head first into the ground, one exclaiming weakly "Ow…" Ginger, Haley, Fidget and Dust sniggered before laughing out loud for a minute or two before they settled down. Fidget then repeated the question to Haley "What did you two do?" Haley is surprised and blushed a bit, before she gestured Fidget next to her and whispered what had happened 2 weeks ago, making Fidget blush like hell and exclaimed "You didn't…" Haley giggled a little, making Ginger narrow her eyes in suspicion, before Ty said suddenly "Moving on."


	15. Camping Out I

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 14: Camping out I

By the time they got to the edge of Abadis Forest, it was already sunset and Ty made a quick glance at the others, especially Matti, and saw fatigued expressions on their faces, so he then said "We should make camp for the night. I don't really like to push on during the night, considering." The others didn't argue, so Ty placed the camping gear on the floor and got out 2 tents, a pot, a kettle, a poker and some sleeping bags. There are enough bags for all of them, with Fidget snuggling into one with another, naturally; the tents, not really. Haley groaned in annoyance and notes she didn't bring her camping gear along, which Ty suggests, much to Ginger's despisal, that in one tent that Dust will sleep in with 2 others and/or Fidget and the other will be himself, Matti and Jonathan. Ginger tried to talk some sense into Ty, but he replied sternly "Look Ginger, it's either sleep in a tent with Dust and Haley or sleep outside and let the shadow monsters take you away to who knows where." Ginger glared at Ty, but it had no effect as he was serious, so she sighed and said "Fine! As long as I sleep on one side of the tent." Ty nodded and went to get some firewood for the camp fire, as Dust removed his hat and his assassin's cloak, revealing a black t-shirt and white pants. Haley blushed at the sight of Dust's face, which Ginger gritted her teeth at Haley, still not forgetting that incident a year ago.

Meanwhile, Ty found a pile of chopped Firewood as he went a few paces from the campsite and thought ("Well, that's lucky I suppose. Better take 10 of them.") Ty then carried 10 halves of Firewood and went back to the campsite to hear, unsurprisingly, Ginger and Haley arguing. He sighed in annoyance and jogged to the camp, seeing Ginger and Haley yelling at each other, looking to start a brawl, when Ty stopped it with a stomp on the ground, making it tremble and stopping the row from Ginger and Haley. He then raised his voice and said "Really? I've left you guys for 5 minutes just for some firewood and you two already started shouting at each other! As far as I'm concerned, you girls should talk peacefully about what happened; NOT doing a shouting match about it!" Ginger and Haley went wide-eyed and looked at each other without turning their heads; they then sat down quietly as Ty placed the firewood on the campfire area and Fidget used her flame attack she had learned after fighting Fuse 2 months ago, prompting Ty to thank Fidget for lighting the fire and she replied "Oh stop, you'll make me blush." Ty chuckled and brought out some wall chicken from his knapsack and cooked them over the fire, saying "I honestly haven't a clue WHY they were in those fragile rock pillars OR how they're still tasty at all. Guess that's another mysterious part of nature, I suppose." Dust shrugged as Haley went up on his left side and rested her head on his shoulder, making Ginger doing a silent growl. Fidget rolled her eyes as she witnessed this and she flew to Dust's right ear and whispered "Mind if I snuggle in your sleeping bag for tonight, Dust?" Dust then replied with a nod and saw Ginger glaring at Haley with anger; he then cleared his throat to snap her out and said "Ginger… are you okay?" Ginger then replied, albeit worriedly "Me? Oh I'm… I'm fine really, just that battle earlier, it uh… it really stressed me out really." Dust then replied, with a sly suspicious expression "Uh huh… okay then…" Ginger then turned her head away and thought to herself ("Oh damn, I think he suspects…") Fortunately, the wall chicken had been cooked and Ty gave each guest one of them, adding that they can help themselves to seconds if they wish, hence why he was pointing at the smoking pot next to the fire. After having the meal and a few of them having seconds, Ty let loose his muscles and grabbed his white singlet and boxer shorts before heading to the nearby river for a quick dip. Dust then smelt something off and realised it was just him, so he decided to go to the river as well to wash up, with the others being guarded by Ahrah and Chrom.

A few paces south of the camp, Ty instinctively followed a thin path to a small lake with Dust right behind him; he then turned to him and said "This is a curious question, but if you have two souls in you, are there two spirits as well?" Dust gave a thought and replied "I haven't thought about it, to be quite honest. Probably not though, but I'll guess we'll see eventually." Ty shrugged and puts off his singlet before he went into the small lake which, apparently, is still warm considering that Winter is coming (A/N IK the reference, I just mean it LITERALLY). Dust then took off his shirt and pants to reveal white boxer shorts and went into the lake after Ty, who is paddling his feet whilst lying upwards in the water. Dust then thought to himself "This guy is laid-back, I'll give him that." Dust then heard rustling from the bushes nearby and wanted to go back to the camp to get Ahrah, when Ty said with his eyes closed "It's just a Doe, Man. Don't worry." Dust then turned to Ty with irritation and replied "'Don't worry?!' There are Shadow monsters roaming Falana, Elemental beasts attacking villagers, why can't I be worried about that?!" Ty gave a minute to reply and finally said "Because the Doe is now lapping on the water. Turn around." Dust rolled his eyes and turned again to see what Ty has exactly been saying – a Doe is calmly lapping on the lake's edge. Dust then said, slightly embarrassed "Sorry, my mistake." Ty shrugged and just replied "Ehh…" A couple minutes later, Ty had decided to swim back to the bank with Dust following him and dried themselves by shaking off the water; they then put on their clothes on and headed back to the camp, where they saw Matti asleep in his father's lap, Haley drooping her head and Ginger drowsily tried to keep awake. Ty and Dust then looked at each other and sighed before they helped their tent partners into their tents and getting dressed in pyjamas; Dust had to wait outside in order for Ginger and Haley to get in theirs, when Chrom told Ahrah "Let's take shifts, I'll go on first, considering my elemental potency. Don't worry, I'm not calling you potentless." Ahrah was silent as Chrom drifted into sentry mode near the campfire, when Ahrah said silently "I was just going to suggest that you take the first watch, actually… *sigh*" Dust then said "'Night Ahrah." Ahrah then bids his master goodnight as Dust got in the tent with Ginger and Haley, who were still angry at each other, but Dust slid in the middle sleeping bag and Fidget, who has been in a female changing room before, fidgeted between Dust's and Haley's sleeping bags, making Ginger even more annoyed. Fidget then said as she drifted off to sleep "'Night guys…" Dust, Haley and Ginger then replied, also tired "'Night Fidget." Ginger then blew out the lantern and the tent went dark…

In the other tent, Ty helped Jonathan get Matti to bed and then they slipped into sleeping bags on either side of Matti, before Jonathan blew out the lantern and went to sleep like that.

During the night, Ty had the nightmares again, hearing a man's voice calling out to a woman's voice, then a sheathing of a sword and the woman screaming in agony before she was impaled by the familiar ethereal blade; a dark red eye then glared at the crack of the door and the roof came down from being unstable… Ty opened his eyes after that, sweating hard and breathing heavily through his nose. He turned to see Matti and Jonathan sleeping peacefully, so he quietly got out of his sleeping bag and headed outside: it was still dark, but Ty felt that Morning won't be for another 5 hours, so he grabbed more firewood from the pile not far from the camp and relit the fire, grabbing the attention of Ahrah, who is currently on watch. Ty felt his presence and said "I'm sorry I disturbed you, I didn't mean anything about it." Ahrah then turned his blade end to Ty and replied "I felt some tragedy inside you… like you've lost someone close… or some people…" Ty shook his head depressingly, prompting Ahrah to float over to him and continuing "What can you recollect from your dream, young Ty?" Ty gave it a good hard thought and replied "Well… I remember a man's voice… he was calling out to a woman in the next room… and then he was impaled through the chest by an… ethereal sword." Ahrah then exclaimed softly "By the Life-Thread…" Ty then continued "It then approached the woman and did the same thing with her; it then glared through a crack in the door and then the roof crumbled from above… and that's all I can recall." Ahrah glowed his aura rapidly, feeling sympathy for Ty, who then said "I think it was my Mom and Dad… I don't know why… but as that dream was constant for the past 12 years, there can't be anyone else…" Ahrah gazed at Ty, then said "I must sympathise for what you've been through. No one should have gone through something like that…" Ty nodded slowly, then heard a body move in where Dust, Haley, Ginger and Fidget are sleeping, so he said "I'd better sleep too… the sun doesn't come up until 5 hours from now…" Ahrah agreed and went back on watch as Ty rested his head on a log; neither of them aware that white, ethereal light is coming from Dust's tent.


	16. Brother and Assassin Returns

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 15: Brother and Assassin Returns

It was morning when in the tent where Dust, Fidget, Haley and Ginger are sleeping, a white, ethereal hand gently stroked Ginger's right cheek, making her smile. Fidget then shifted her little body to get more comfortable and opened her eyes slightly before closing them again; She then opened her eyes quickly to see a spirit of a male Warmblood stroking Ginger as she sleeps, who looks VERY familiar as Fidget tries to recollect where she saw that face before, when Ginger shifted her body to face Dust, who is stirring awake. When the spirit's head turned to face Dust and then Fidget, she remembered the face – It was Jin's face in the photo back in Zeplich Village. Jin then pressed his finger against his lips, indicating Fidget to be quiet and Fidget mouthed the words "Why?" Jin's Spirit then pointed at Ginger and mouthed back "She tends to freak out when she's waken suddenly; believe me, I'm speaking from experience." Dust opened his eyes to see Jin's Spirit standing over Ginger and said quietly "Morning Jin. Nice to see you again." Jin's Spirit then replied "Likewise, man. Likewise. I'm just worried about Ginger, but I'm glad she's okay." Dust smiled at Jin, acknowledging their concerns, when Fidget said quietly "Um… hi there… I'm Fidget…" Jin then nodded and replied quietly still "Ah, Dust speaks quite highly of you. I gotta say, I agree with him about you." Fidget then flew a few feet high and crossed her arms, saying sternly and less quietly "What did you agree with him about me?" Jin then replied "That you're adorable, loves Louta Nuts… and have a tendency to not pay attention to speeches." Fidget looked oddly at Jin's Spirit and she shrugged before replying "Fair enough." Jin's Spirit gave a warm, gentle smile and turned his head back to Ginger, who mumbled in her sleep "Oh, please… let me sleep…" She then placed her right paw on Jin's, who looked quickly at Dust and Fidget in panic, as the latter's expressed the same level of panic, unsure what to do next as Ginger sweetly smiled as she slept. Then a voice that only Dust and Jin knows came from outside the tent said "Jin! What's going on in there, man?" Jin turned his head to the drapes and replied in a loud whisper "My sister has got my hand… AND she's still asleep…" There was a moment of silence, then a sigh came from outside the tent and the same voice said "By the Life-Thread… I don't want to go in there, but I can't leave you alone either." Jin's spirit rolled his eyes and the drapes opened by another same coloured ethereal hand and then someone cam which made Fidget gasp suddenly: Cassius. He looks similar to Jin, but he had a scar on his abdomen and his hair is short like mown grass. When he saw the predicament, he squeezed his nose bridge and muttered "Oy vey… I don't think she'll wake up peacefully…" Fidget then flapped her wings more rapidly which is sure to wake up Ginger and she said a little louder "Why do you say that? Do you get sentimental after every attack; Warmblood or not?" Dust tried to shush Fidget, but it was too late; Ginger stirred awake and was startled when she saw her brother's spirit as well as her family's killer's spirit. She then accidentally pushed them away with her feet still in the sleeping bag and they tumbled over near the smouldering campfire, awaking Ty as well. Ty woke up with a start, although not so much compared to Ginger, who is astonished to see Jin's spirit and immediately despised Cassius's Spirit. Ty lifted his head and yawned before saying "Good morning." Jin's Spirit replied, albeit groaning "To you as well…" Cassius got up first, but rubbed the back of his head due to strucking it with a log, expressing pain before helping Jin up as well. Ginger got out of the tent and still can't believe what she's seeing right in front of her; Jin straightened himself and said gently "Hi Ginger…" Ginger's eyes welled up with tears, her paws clasped over her mouth and saying softly "Jin…" Jin's Spirit nodded gently with a warm smile and there was a moment of silence before Jin hugged his sister and Ginger replied with a hug back, sobbing hard and tearing up. Ty smiled gently to see a heartfelt reunion, especially for Ginger, who doesn't want to let go of Jin. Ty noticed that Cassius expressed regret; he wasn't smiling but he wasn't smirking either. Ginger opened her eyes and saw Cassius's expression, making her suspicious about him, but oddly in a non-hostile sense. Jin and Ginger then broke off their heartfelt hug and Ginger asked Cassius "Are you feeling regret? For following Gaius in his Genocidal campaign?" Cassius didn't dare to look up at Ginger, but he replied "Partially… But I regretted that decision after Jin and I… killed each other." Ty is regretting his question, but he said it anyway "How did you two kill each other, anyway?" Cassius puts his ethereal paws in his ethereal pockets and sighed before replying "Well, Jin tracked me from Zeplich Village all the way down to The Glade, bent on revenge for me killing his and Ginger's parents. Mind you, he is quite determined and he and I exchanged blows to be honest with you. We then charged against each other and we impaled each other through the chest; I thought I won another worthless fight, but I felt cold suddenly and I looked down to see a small hilt sticking out of my abdomen. I looked at a fatally wounded Jin with shock on my face and I twitched my left eye before falling backwards, darkness clouding my eyes." Ginger's eyes widened with shock and turned to Jin, who added "It's true… I saw Cassius's expression when he saw his fatal wound and he toppled back like a statue before I passed away." Cassius nodded gloomily and Ginger said "But if you and Jin died, then why are you so sympathetic now?" Cassius then squeezed his nose bridge and replied "Because… after Jin and I passed away, the Life-Thread showed us what has happened over a full year during Gaius's genocidal campaign. The more Warmbloods that got killed, the more I felt horrible at what I've done. When I saw Dust emerged with me and Jin's souls together in him, I know he has a good chance against Gaius… and for my redemption of my horrible decision." Ginger is stunned to hear this confession and Cassius didn't even twitch his lips into a slight sneer, showing that he is a good individual… somehow. Ty rubbed his neck and checked the pot to find some leftover Wall Chicken from last night still warm as Dust, Fidget and Haley just exited the tent fully clothed. Ty heard yawning from Matti's tent and he and Jonathan just got out to see a surprising sight of two Spirits which Matti recognised one of them as Jin and Jonathan recalled Cassius. Ty looked up at the sky and saw it was a couple of hours that had passed since Jin's Spirit had appeared. Ty then said "Right, I don't like to ruin a heartfelt confession, but I really think we should pack up the camp and head back to Aurora Village." Ginger felt annoyed from that, but knows Ty is right, so she went back in the tent and got dressed as Cassius looked away from the tent awkwardly before Ginger got her rolled-up Sleeping Bag and they packed up the campsite with help from Jin and Cassius and Ty called Chrom, who flew over to his master and is caught in the handle before holstered on the belt as Ahrah flew over to Dust and he carried him in his right hand before Ty and Dust led the group along the path back to Aurora.


	17. Defending Aurora

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 16: Defending Aurora

On the way back to Aurora Village, Dust and Ty are leading the front, wielding Ahrah and Chrom, respectively; Ginger, Fidget and Haley are right behind them and Matti, Jonathan, Jin's and Cassius' Spirits are in the rear. Ty and Dust then explained their backstories to each other and Dust, recalling the events of Gaius' genocidal campaign, has sympathy for Ty for his tragic childhood; likewise, Ty felt sympathy for Dust since he had the weight of Falana to protect and had gone through trials no normal Warmblood or Moonblood would go through. Ty then suddenly stopped, his ears perked up listening intently, sensing hostiles nearby, as Dust stopped and turned around to see Ty looking around the area in alert. Dust perked up his ear, but cannot hear anything, even Ahrah cannot sense anything other than the whole group. Dust then sighed in annoyance and turned around to walk ahead, when Ty saw that an emerging pool of darkness is seeping out of a bush that Dust is heading for. In an instant, Ty rushed to Dust and pushed him away from the bush, just as a dark, ethereal claw missed Dust and then a tall, slender shadow creature with red eyes emerged from the shadow pool. It then turned to the others and it then came after them, dashing on all fours like a wild cat, but as the others crouched and cowered for their demise, it had suddenly crashed head first into an earthen wall that appeared just before it could hurt the others. It then plopped down into a sitting position and when it turned to Ty, he and Dust stifled their heavy laughter when its squashed face peered at them angrily and said as though its voice is cramped "You'll pay for that, you little punk!" It then grabbed its head and pulled it back to position, before standing up and scrambled over the earth wall like a lizard, intending to kill the others; Ty then twirled Chrom whist changing to the Air Source and threw it through the Earth Wall, smashing through it and catching the towering shadow monster in a small, yet powerful spherical vortex surrounding Chrom, before Chrom came back to Ty and he clotheslined the shadow monster onto the ground as Chrom continued to fly away from the earthen wall. The shadow creature then yelled, albeit in heavy pain "Minions!" Ty widened his eyes and jumped into a horizontal position, narrowly dodging a swing from a dark, ethereal blade, before catching a returning Chrom (who changed to the Frost Source) and uppercutting the shadow monster who swing the blade at him, blowing it away a couple miles away from Ty, when more Shadow Minions emerged from the surrounding treetops. Ty is ready to take them on and started to twirl Chrom around, using the Air Source to make a hurricane, blinding the Shadow Minions with dust blowing at them, when the hurricane suddenly changed from grey to white and hail drops began to appear. Dust, Haley, Fidget, Jin's and Cassius's souls are astonished to see two elements mixed into an attack, when Ty thrusted his right arm upwards, increasing the speed of the Hailing Hurricane to the effect that the Shadow Minions were lifted up from the ground and the Hail Pellets were going by so fast, they were like bullets and damaging the Shadow Minions until they dissipated into nothing. Once the Minions were gone, Ty dispersed his Dual Elemental attack and turned to the downed Shadow Terror; he then gripped it by its torso and said to it roughly "Why did you attack us?" The Shadow Terror then retorted as Dust readied Ahrah for another fight "I ain't telling you jack!" Ty then bashed the Shadow Terror through a thick tree trunk without a sweat and gripped him again, before he confessed "Alright, alright! The Dark Master wanted me to ambush you, to stop your efforts to defeat him and his army!" Ty looked at the Shadow Terror with a piercing gaze and replied in a hard tone "I know you've got something to hide. What are you keeping from me?" The Shadow Terror summoned some courage and retorted, albeit less effectively "I'm… not keeping anything!" Ty then threw the Shadow Terror up high and jump after it, then punched it hard onto the ground before stomping on it and gripping him again; He then replied, more hurt and afraid now "Okayokay! There's going to be an attack… at Aurora Village! He ordered me to delay your arrival…" Ty's eyes then narrowed into anger and said harshly "Who ordered you?" The Shadow Terror then said, not bothering to summon courage "I… don't… know…" Ty then wielded Chrom and the latter extended his blade into a sharp on from pure ice with the former saying "Do I need to do this?" The Shadow Terror looked at the sharp, ice blade with fear and a sweat and said weakingly "No… It's a Commander that gave me the orders, but I didn't catch his name, honest! Can I go now?" Ty then gripped the Shadow Terror closer to his face and said "Yes." He then threw him forcefully into the deep forest, before turning to Dust and the others and said "We've gotta move, now!" No one objected nor spoke a word about it and rushed to Aurora Village, hoping it is not too late…

As Ty and the others returned to Aurora Village, they didn't see any visible fires or smoke, but heard a monstrous roar from the other end of the village, which indicates that a Shadow Commander had just arrived. Ty then turned to Dust and said "Shall we?" Dust turned and replied "Lets." Ty and Dust then rushed up the hill as the theme 'Is She With You?' from Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice began to play in the background. As they reached the top of the hill, they saw the Shadow Commander: It was bulky, has heavy armor on, wields an ethereal Warhammer with a strange symbol etched on the side and his eyes were coloured black. Both Calum and Bean moved away from the Shadow Commander, their spears raised, when the Shadow Commander looked up and saw Ty and Dust, glaring at him. Ty saw the symbol on the weapon and remembered that same symbol on the attack of his village when he was 8. The Shadow Commander then chortled and said "Two Town Guards and two brats? This is what the village has to challenge?" It then gave a soul chilling laugh, scaring Calum and Bean out of their wits; Dust then readied Ahrah as Ty grew furious when his eyes glowed white and Chrom glowed white as well, making the Shadow Commander stop laughing and looking at Ty in suspicion, before Ty lept towards the Shadow Commander with a loud, emananting yell that had grabbed the attention of the prepared Shadow Minion and slammed Chrom down to the ground, shooting out earthen spikes at the Shadow Commander and the Minion, who all were thrown backwards to the edge of the village and the Minions dissipated into nothing as the Shadow Commander had started to look frightened, when he turned to see Ty staring at him with his white, glowing eyes and his emanating War Axe. Ty then twirled Chrom rapidly as the chorus from the song 'Stranger I Remain' played in the background and a sudden white vortex came from the sky and shot down to where Ty is and his clothing has changed into a lightweight fur armor, complete with boots, bracers, torso and helmet, with the addition of an Imp Hide Shield and dashed towards the Shadow Commander in a white barrier; the Shadow Commander is frightened to the point he cannot move, so Ty swung him upwards with his Shield and jumped up towards him, doing a rapid flurry slash against him before Shield-Bashing him hard to the ground and rolled quickly towards the ground before impaling Chrom on his back, receiving an agonising scream from the Shadow Commander. Ty then removed Chrom from the Shadow Commander's back and stood to his face as Dust, Ginger, Fidget, Haley, Matti, Jonathan, Mayor Bram, and Jin's and Cassius' spirits came from the other side of the village and witnessed what is happening: Ty crouched and lifted the Shadow Commander's head to face him and the Shadow Commander peered at Ty and said weakingly "You… you're that lad from 13 years ago… Heh, I guess that's ironic…" Ty then said firmly "What's ironic?" The Shadow Commander then replied "I saw you through your bedroom window as your village was being razed to the ground; we were searching for the Prime Elementalist and eliminate him/her, but it actually turns out it was YOU. Heh, and I thought my Second-in-Command made a mistake…" Ty, wanting to know where he came from, said "Where is this village?" The Shadow Commander coughed out some black stuff, which Ty supposed is corrupted blood, before replying "I'm… not sure… It's here in Falana, of that, I'm sure. *coughs hard* I'm afraid you have to find it on your own…" Ty's eyes widened and wanted to know more, but the Shadow Commander had passed away and he dissipated into nothing like the minions. There was some silence at what seemed like an hour, when Ty had finally said "Is there any casualties, Mayor Bram?" Mayor Bram then replied confidently "None, thank goodness. I'm glad you had saved Aurora from that thing and his minions, but I'm sure things are far from over…" Fidget clasped her paws over her mouth and said whilst frightened "Ahh… I was afraid you might say that…" Ty sighed, not out of annoyance, but out of pity; he NEEDED to know where his old home is, but felt it won't come out of thin air like that. He then said "I think we should turn in… We've been through quite a bit today." Ginger looked at Ty worriedly, concerned about his past, but then relents and replied "Yeah, a good rest should help." Ty nodded and he, Ginger, Dust, Fidget, Haley, Matti, Jonathan and Jin's and Cassius' Spirits came up the hill to Ginger's house, when Ginger explained that it can only house 4 individuals and a small animal. Haley sighed deeply and said to Dust "I'll see you in the morning, Blade-Boy?" Dust then replied sweetly "We will, Craft-Girl." Haley smiled gleefully and kissed Dust on the cheek before she went down to find accommodations for her and her family. Ginger leered at Haley as she went down the hill, then she reached under a flower pot and got out the keys to the house; she then unlocked the front door and ushered them inside, including (and highly reluctantly) Cassius' Spirit.


	18. Turning In I

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 17: Turning In I

Dust had only seen the house that Ginger stood by when they first encountered her, but he didn't know how cosy it is inside. Jin's Spirit, although concerned about Ginger ever since that night he and Cassius killed each other and their souls formed into Dust, is glad that Ginger had got herself a nice homestead; Ty, although weathered from the recent battle, is glad to have a good rest and appreciates Ginger's hospitality; Fidget just wants to have a good bundle of Feeble Fruit and doze off; Cassius's Spirit felt uncomfortable, but it wasn't from Ginger being hard on him (although he definitely deserved it, considering), it was from a feeling he's missed while he was still alive, even with Gaius' side: Home. Ginger kept shooting venomous glances at Cassius for what he had done as she was making dinner, then glanced at the others, almost tearing up at Jin's Spirit, who is gently petting Fidget as she was munching on a Feeble Fruit. She then looked at Dust, who had his hat off and is looking at the interior with surprising interest; she then glanced at Ty and saw that, aside from Cassius (much as she wants to regret letting in), is looking glum. Ginger then focused on making dinner as Ty pondered after the fight: ("He knows me… He knows who I am, but he forgot where I was born… *frustrated groan* Where? Just WHERE is my HOME?") Fidget began to purr affectionately as Jin's Spirit began to do tiny scratches behind her ears and she smiled gleefully as she fell back and landed on the armrest before Jin began to stroke her filled belly with his index finger, making her giggle a little. Ginger glanced at what Jin's Spirit is doing and she is happy that he is being affectionate to Fidget, muttering under her breath "Some things never change…" As she began to cook dinner with a small smile, Ty slumped his head onto his both paws, which was noticed by Cassius' Spirit and Dust. Cassius's Spirit and Dust looked at each other and the former gestured his head towards Ty and the latter nodded in agreement. Dust and Cassius's Spirit went over to Ty on either side, when Ginger noticed this as she leaned on the counter whilst waiting for dinner to cook. Dust then started "What's the matter, Ty?" Ty then rubbed his eyes with his paws and didn't reply; Cassius's Spirit then said "Is it about that fight? You did do a swell job, to be frank…" Ginger looked suspicious at Cassius's Spirit, when Ty sighed and finally replied "No… it wasn't the battle… it was what the Shadow Commander said… he knew me… when… *Ty dropped his head* when my home was destroyed…" The reaction isn't surprising for Ty to hear from Ginger "You expect to believe that? Dark creatures like that have a tendency to lie in your face." Apparently, Ty didn't take that comment positively; he just slumped onto the bed depressively. Ginger knew she didn't help with that comment, but she was being honest; Ahrah then spoke up "You are most certainly correct Ginger… however, it is extremely rare for shadows to be truthful and I sensed no lies from the Shadow Commander." Ginger isn't sure if Ahrah made a mistake, but then again, the reaction that Ty had soon after isn't expected either, who said blankly "Well, either way, I HAD to take down the Commander. *small pause* He wasn't lying when he forgot where my home is, is he?" Ahrah then responded "No… no he wasn't." Ty knew that answer was coming, so he let out a depressive sigh, saying softly "Great…" The bell went suddenly next to Ginger and she checked on dinner and saw it was ready to serve, so she got out some oven mitts and got out a tray filled with pies, saying "Okay, Dinner is ready!" The others, save for Fidget who is drowsy, got up and went over to the table to have their meal as Ginger puts the pies in even quantities per plate, but isn't sure if Spirits can eat physical foods. Jin's Spirit then looked up to Ginger with concern and said "What's wrong, Ginger?" Ginger then replied "Well… I'm not too sure that Spirits can eat physical foods…" Cassius then replied "You'd be surprised, actually…" Ginger then glanced at Cassius's Spirit and retorted "I wasn't asking YOU, assassin…" Cassius's Spirit sighed heavily and replied after a small pause "Look, I'm sincerely sorry about the campaign, I was—"Ginger then retorted loudly "YOU'RE A DAMN MURDERER, MOONBLOOD AND WARMBLOOD ALIKE! YOU'VE KILLED MY FAMILY AND DESTROYED MY HOME! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ACCEPT YOUR APOLOGY?!" Cassius's Spirit looked scared at Ginger's sudden response and there was silence before Ty interrupted "Ginger?" Ginger glanced at Ty venomously and retorted "WHAT?!" Ty gestured at the pies and Ginger looked down to see she had unintentionally dropped them and the meat had splattered onto the floor; she then replied softly "Oh, sorry…" Cassius's Spirit then suddenly got up and went over where Ginger thinks he's going over to Fidget, but he instead went next to a support beam and hits his forehead, saying "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Ginger and the others looked on and are puzzled on why he's punishing himself, when Ginger sighed and said "Sorry guys, I'm afraid we'll just have to settle with the Feeble Fruit for dinner." Jin's Spirit then got up and rubbed Ginger's back gently, which Ginger is grateful for and she hugged her brother's Spirit, who hugged her back and he glowed bright blue. Ty and Dust smiled at the scene as Cassius's Spirit finished his punishment, albeit staggering and dizzy as a result. Ginger then broke off the hug and said "Okay guys, we should go to bed soon…" Cassius's Spirit then replied "If it's not a bother, I'll just sleep on the floor; you can wake me up harshly in the morning." Ginger then retorted "Fine, I will." Cassius's Spirit then said "Good." Just like that, Cassius's Spirit fell on the hard tiled floor with a *Flump!* and closed his eyes to drift off to sleep. Ginger isn't sure if Cassius's Spirit is being serious, but she decides to wake him up in the morning by dropping a bucket of ice-cold water on his head, snickering as she thought about it.

15 minutes later, Ginger, Dust and Ty got dressed in their sleepwear and went to bed: Ginger took the one on the left wall, Dust and Fidget took the one on the right and Ty just got out a sleeping bag and rested in it. Jin's Spirit decided to sleep on the couch, but deeply concerned about Ginger since the attack was still in her mind; Ty then sighed and said "This reminds me of an occasional sleepover I've had prior to the second village attack…" Ginger, curious on Ty's life, asked as she slipped into bed "Y'know, I never asked about what you did before coming to Falana… well again. What was your village like?" Ty then smiled a little and started "Well, it was somewhat like Aurora, but it had an Inn, a quarry and a sawmill. I was took in by an elderly couple when my home was destroyed by the Shadow Army and I lived with them for about 13 years. Like I said earlier, there were girls there about my age: The Three Lotus': Cleo, Jess and Leslie; another girl named Cheryl… *sighs dreamily, Ginger looked at Fidget slyly and both giggled softly* she's such a beautiful girl… She had a boyfriend, an ignorant jerk named Patrick and a father who had low hopes for me." Ty sighed sadly and continued "After the village had been attacked, they fled the village, but I do not know if they are alright… and I also saw the corpses of my adopted parents." Ginger, Fidget, Dust, Jin's Spirit and, although secretly, Cassius's Spirit felt sympathetic for Ty for what he's been through. Ty then said "Night night, guys." Ty then shut his eyes and the others followed suit.


	19. Assassin's Redemption I

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 18: Assassin's Redemption I

Ty has always the same nightmare for 12 years, but when he woke up early in the morning, he was quite relieved that he didn't had it for once last night. He opened his eyes narrowly to see that Ginger is comfortably sleeping in her bed, then he shifted his irises to Dust and Fidget and he made a silent snigger as Dust is holding Fidget like a doll and the latter is sleeping happily with a gentle purr; he then lifted his head a little to see Cassius' Spirit, although still on the floor, is sleeping with his mouth open a little and Ty moved his irises to the couch and saw Jin's Spirit smiling just like Dust is (due to the latter having Jin's and Cassius's souls, respectively). Ty's right ear twitched and he looked to his right to see Ginger opening her eyes narrowly as well and mouthed to Ty "Morning." Ty mouthed back "Ditto." Ginger then looked at Dust and made a silent, adoring *awwww* when she saw Dust and Fidget sleeping together; she then got up a little and yawned whilst stretching her arms whilst in her pyjamas: a white singlet with lilac pants. She then turned to the couch and saw to her calming reaction that Jin's Spirit is sleeping peacefully with a sweet smile and saw Cassius's Spirit asleep on the hard floor with a devious look on her face. She then turned her head to Ty and gestured him to fill a bucket full of freezing cold water, which Ty understood with a nod. 2 minutes later, Ty tiptoed with a bucket filled to the brim with freezing cold water over to Ginger, who is standing near a sleeping Cassius, and gave her the bucket. Ginger then took the bucket and gave a silent snicker, whispering "I've always wanted to do this…" Ty then slyly smiled and gestured Ginger to go ahead; she then poured the freezing cold contents onto Cassius's head and he woke up with a start as the water splashed onto him, shouting with an instant shiver "AAAAHHHHH! Cold… Cold… *shivers* So cold…" Jin's Spirit, Dust and Fidget woke up from the noise and saw Cassius' Spirit dripping wet and Ty and Ginger howling with uncontrollable laughter on the floor, the latter banging her hands on the floor. It took a complete 3 minutes for the laughter to die down and Cassius said plainly, still shivering but not often "Thanks for waking me up, I deserve it… *shudders* Damn, that's so cold…" Ginger is still grinning, but tried to pull a straight face and said "Well, you DID kill lots of Moonbloods and Sympathisers, I gotta do something to punish… *Pfft! Hahaha!* I'm-I'm sorry, I just can't get over what I did..." Cassius's Spirit looked at Ginger with widened eyes and baring teeth chattering from the cold and replied "Well… I've never had a bucket full of freezing water poured on me, so… yeah." Ginger let out a chuckle and steadied herself on her bed, before she controlled herself and said "Well, enough bantering. We should get on with the day."

An hour later, everyone else in Aurora woke up to the rising sun and readied for another day, when in the house where Haley, Matti and Jonathan are temporarily residing, Haley got her folded casual clothes and pink towel in her arms and went into the bathroom for a brief bath. She then dressed down to her pink undergarments and went into the warm bath, sighing relived due to her role as a Blacksmith. She then closed her eyes from the pleasurable feeling from the warm bath and smiled sweetly, thinking about Dust… She was then startled by knocking from the door and Matti's voice rang "Sis! Someone's here for you!" Haley sighed depressively and got out of the bath, wondering if it is another client as she dried herself before getting in her casual clothing: a white shirt with brown jean shorts, white ankle socks and brown heel shoes. She then swept her fringe aside and went out the bathroom and answered the front door to see, much to her pure desire, Dust without his assassin cloak or hat, but with a bundle of red roses. Haley's eyes glistened as she puts her paw near her mouth in adoration; Dust looked down whilst blushing and smiling sweetly as he held the bundle between him and Haley. Haley took the bundle in her paw and pulled Dust into a kiss, who initially is surprised, but took in the kiss. Haley then broke off the kiss and nuzzled her nose against Dust's, before saying "Morning, Blade-Boy. What you doing?" Dust replied "Just want to spend time with you, Forge-Girl." Haley smiled slyly and said "Oh I see… Come in then, my dad and brother are just going out anyway…" Matti raised his brow and was just about to question that, when Jonathan, seeing that Haley wants to be alone with Dust, picked him up for a piggy back ride and said "Yeah, gotta check for any more damages in the village." Jonathan and Matti left the house and as they just went over the other side of the hill, Haley pulled Dust inside and slammed the door close.

Meanwhile, Ginger is annoyed that Dust is seeing Haley, but is suspicious when Cassius's Spirit told her that he's going to the Moonblood Camp and won't be back until the afternoon. Ginger then thought to herself "If it's speaking to them about an apology, you're only wasting your time." Ty then startled her from behind by calling her name and he apologised for startling her before continuing "I noticed some Warmblood kids in the village. What are their names?" Ginger slapped her forehead and replied "Oh damn, I forgot! C'mon, I'll introduce you to the rest of the villagers." Ginger led Ty down the eastern slope to introduce him to Corbin and Coleen.

Cassius's Spirit came to the Moonblood Camp and is met with poisonous glares from the surviving race, which he is not complaining in the slightest. He then sighed and said loud enough so the Moonbloods can hear "Moonbloods, you all know who I am. You know I killed many of your kind and the sympathisers, and I know if I was still alive, I would kill you without hesitation and remorse. But the Life-Thread showed my mistake; I don't expect you to accept my apology, but instead I'd like you all to beat me up… severely." The Moonbloods looked at each other, saying "Is he for real?" or "How can we believe him, after what he has done to us?" Cassius's Spirit then said "I have no weapon on me, but I do not need one, because I need to have punishment and justice from your kind. I sincerely deserve such treatment and I know you wanted to aim your rage towards me. So go on ahead… I'm a foolish brat anyway." Cassius's Spirit then kneeled down and puts his hands behind his head, as Elder Gray-Eyes announced "Moonbloods, your killer wished to be punished from yourselves. Aim your rage at him, for he deserves it." The Moonbloods looked astonished, until one came to Cassius's Spirit and hits him over the head with a plank of wood, sending him to fall face-first into the mud. Seeing that he is indeed not fighting back, the rest of the surviving Moonbloods joined in and attacked Cassius's Spirit as the song "If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough" by Roger Alan Wake plays in the background.

2 hours later, Ginger and Ty had come back to Ginger's household with a couple bags of groceries and (in Ty's case) 2 dozens of Firewood. Ginger placed the groceries on the counter, muttering on how Mordecai had suddenly bumped up prices and caring on just currency. She then took, much to her interest, a quick glance at Ty, who had kept on his singlet because he chopped the firewood with permission from Mordecai and blushed a little from his physique with a red mark on her cheeks. Ginger then proceeded to organise the groceries whilst still blushing, not noticing that Ty glanced at her and saw her blush marks, muttering to himself "Of course… why am I not surprised…" Ty shook his head in amusement and smiling a bit, when there is knocking at the front door and Ginger said "Come in…" There was no movement, but a slight groaning from outside the door; Ginger sighed from annoyance and went to the front door, thinking it might be Corbin celebrating Halloween early again, but when she opened it, she reacted verbally "What the?" Cassius' Spirit is standing there, matted with mud, having both black eyes and covered with bruises, also missing some teeth. Ginger looked astonished to see this, then thought again that he deserved this much brutality for what he did. Cassius' Spirit then said painfully "Hi… Ginger… I let… the Moonbloods… beat… beat me up… it took 2 hours until their rage had finally left and for what I deserved to them… and it… obviously… hurts…" Ginger then replied "Yeah, OBVIOUSLY." Cassius's Spirit didn't change his expression, but nodded in agreement and said "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to take a break…" Just like that, he fell backwards and fell unconscious as Ginger looked at him, thinking to herself "He deserved that much pain, for everything he has done… but… is he doing this because he saw his wrongs or is it because he just wants to kill again? *sighs* either way, he's out cold." Fidget then came from the western side of the village and exclaimed "Ginger! Aren't you going to help him?!" Ginger glanced at Fidget with hostility, then looked at an unconscious Cassius, then felt bad and sighed regretfully before saying "Ty! I need your help!" Ty went over the front entrance and saw Cassius' Spirit out cold on the ground and said "I'll get him." Ty then lifted Cassius over his shoulder and saw Fidget blushing deeply and looking at him with glistening eyes; Ty then added "Yeah… I get that a LOT." Ty then turned back to the house and laid Cassius' Spirit onto the couch, laying the latter's head on a soft pillow. Jin's Spirit then came inside and said "Sorry for the delay sis, I had a little chat with Gianni; I gotta be frank, even with my kind personality, I gotta say he's such a self-centered snob." Ginger and Fidget stifled their laughter at that remark as Ty shook his head disapprovingly, when there is a short, loving laugh coming from outside and Dust and Haley just came into view, nuzzling their noses affectionately before they pecked their lips against each other; Fidget's left ear twitched and she turned to see Ginger clenching her teeth angrily and her eyes narrowed venomously towards Haley. Fidget was about to talk Ginger out of it, but Ginger sped towards Haley and knocked her on her back, shouting "Don't even think of getting him anywhere bad!" Haley felt her hand on her bruise on her cheek and looked up at Ginger blankly as Dust said "What the hell, Ginger?" Ginger turned to Dust and said "I'm sorry Dust, but I can't—"She didn't finished as Haley, having enough of abuse, tackled Ginger to the ground and they did a catfight. Haley was on top of Ginger and she clenched her paws over Ginger's neck, then Ginger switched places and did the same thing, then Haley switched and hits Ginger's head repeatedly on the ground, then Ginger switched again punched Haley repeatedly; Haley then shoved Ginger off and said as she clenched her hands "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? WHAT DID I DO TO ENRAGE YOU?" Ginger then retorted, having some bruises on her "BECAUSE YOU ALMOST GOT MY LATE BROTHER KILLED, YOU SLUT!" They didn't notice that Dust came in between them and they punched him by mistake, sending him down on the ground with a black eye and a bleeding nose. They looked down on him with initial anger, then expressed shock as they hurt their brother/boyfriend and saw they hurt him bad as he looked at them horrified. Ginger opened her mouth to say something, but Dust left in a rush outside the village towards The Glade, where he was created as the Seh-Mithrarin. Both girls clasped their mouths with welling eyes, shocked at what they had done as Fidget expressed her anger "WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHERE'S DUST GOING?!" The girls didn't say anything as they were too shocked to even speak, so Ty grabbed Chrom and decided to get Dust back, accompanied by Ahrah and Fidget a few minutes later, who prefers Ty over Ginger and/or Haley presently.


	20. The Storm Source

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 19: The Storm Source

Fidget led Ty through The Glade, remembering the way due to her and Dust having met in the heart of The Glade when he was created as the Seh-Mithrarin. She then said "I can't believe Ginger would attack Haley all because she and Jin were dating prior to the attack on Zeplich Village. If you ask me, she wants her own brother's attention on her." Ty rolled his eyes, thinking it is much more complex that THAT reason. As they neared the heart of The Glade, they heard sobbing up ahead and Fidget said softly "Dust…" She flew off ahead quickly, concerned about Dust as Ty followed suit; They then came upon an area with a small lake under heavy shading from the tree canopy and saw Dust kneeling near the water's edge, crying softly and his tears dropping into the lake. Fidget puts her right paw near her mouth and she flew next to Dust, who looked at her with bloodshot eyes and a matted face; Fidget made a consoling *aww* and hugged him gently, which Dust returned with one as well. Ty then walked to the left of Dust and Fidget and said to Dust "Hey pal, you alright?" Dust then frowned sadly and shook his head before saying "Why? Why would Ginger be so hostile towards Haley? She hasn't done anything bad… And as you could've seen, I tried to stop the fighting, but I got laid on the ground by their fists." Ty kneeled next to Dust and replied "Look Dust, I have no signs of doubt that Haley is no hostile, but Ginger is mad at her for a reason. If you could just talk to her about it, she could tell you on why she's mad at Haley in the first place; you can then find a way to resolve the hostility at that point." Ahrah then said "That's a very wise decision, young Ty. I also sense Ginger and Haley; they're very upset at what their fighting has done, they're sitting on the couch right now, talking calmly, albeit with tear marks on their faces." Dust then looked at Ahrah and said suddenly "They're talking about Ginger's problem right now?" Ahrah then replied "I believe so… we must get back to Aurora Village now." They agreed on that matter and Dust wielded Ahrah in his right hand as Ty held Chrom in his right hand as well; they then rushed towards Aurora Village, when the sky is clouded by thunder clouds and rain started to pour on them. Ty asked "Does Rain tend to be often here in Falana?" Dust then replied "More or less, man. More or less." As they got closer to Aurora, the rain grew stronger with lightning flashes coming and going in increased paces, which Chrom sensed a powerful foe nearby, saying "Be on your guard, I sense a powerful Elemental Beast…" Ty then replied "I think I have an idea on which source that is… and I need help from two others for this one." Ty turned to Dust and Fidget and they nodded in agreement (and in Fidget's case, reluctance).

As they reached the farms, they saw Ginger and Haley leaning on the wall and they saw them across the way. As Dust, Fidget and Ty walked across the field, Ty suddenly moved them out of the way just as a sudden thunderbolt struck at the spot they were before Ty moved them and himself out of the way. Ty looked up at the thunder clouds and it began to bellow angrily; suddenly, 3 bolts linked to the same spot where it had struck previously and a figure began to emerge: It was a humanoid figure with violet crackles of sparks emanating from its whole body was on, it had a dark skin tone with a toned physique, it's face is covered with bolt patterns that glowed like it's eyes, which where violet as well. Fidget then said "That's not good…" Ty and Dust replied as they shook their heads "Uh uh…" The Storm Elemental then summoned a lightning bolt and directed it at them, missing as they evaded the attack; Haley and Ginger looked in horror at what is happening. Ty looked venomously at the Storm Elemental and he wielded Chrom, who had dual-equipped the Earth and Air source together; Dust then wielded Ahrah and Fidget is ready to use her Pillar attack, determined to beat the Storm Elemental. It then smirked and absorbed lightning strikes to grow bigger until it was as tall as one of the trees from Ivydale Glen and it changed form into a being of pure storms: the lower base is the shape of a darkened vortex shrouded with dark clouds and trickles of lightning, the upper base is shaped as a bulky torso, has claws shrouded with lightning and it's head has horns and violet eyes. Ty then closed his eyes and started to twirl Chrom quickly, picking up a powerful hurricane with boulders being lifted around them; Ty's body then changed into an earthen figure with crystals on the head to form a Helmet and runes forming on the earthen limbs and torso. The Storm Elemental then said in a deep, malicious tone "Who are you?" Ty then opened his eyes to show white glowing eyes and replied in a loud echoing voice "I am the Prime Elementalist." Ty then thrusted a spinning Chrom upwards and the Storm Elemental found himself raising upwards as boulders raised with it and circle around it, with Dust on one of them and Ty somehow flying in the air. The Storm Elemental then aimed his sparking arm towards Ty, when he was suddenly pelted by a storm of energy shots, disrupting his aim and got hit in the back hard by Chrom. As it groaned in pain, Ty looked at Dust and Fidget, who had used a Dust Storm-enhanced Energy Shot to disrupt the Storm Elemental's attack; Ty nodded in gratitude and said "Let's take him down!" Ty then dashed towards the Storm Elemental and swung at its head as Dust did a Mid-air combo before both heroes gripped its torso and smashed it to the ground. Ty and Dust got up and saw the Storm Elemental on the ground, too much damaged to even get up. Dust then asked "Is it really a Storm Elemental?" Ty then replied as he dispersed his Earthen Avatar Form "No… I'd say it's more of a look-alike." A booming voice then said "You're correct, Prime Elementalist. This copycat made such insult towards the Storm Guardian and for its crimes, it shall be removed." A large, powerful thunderbolt then dropped onto the Fake Storm Elemental and it dissipated into nothing; Ty's left ear perked up and turned to see a large sphere of storm clouds behind him and what came out made Fidget gasp in surprise: It was the Storm Guardian himself. Ty never felt more honourable to be in the presence of a legendary warrior, so he kneeled on his one knee and held his right arm across his chest in respect. The Storm Guardian then said "You may stand, young warrior." Ty then stood up and looked at the Storm Guardian in respect, who then continued "I have seen everything in the sky, I have seen your actions and your commendable efforts to protect the innocents from the Dark Elemental Army. Because of your combined efforts to take down the impersonating Storm Elemental along with the Seh-Mithrarin, I shall bestow your weapon with the Storm Source. May its raging attacks help you on your quest." He then clapped his navy-blue hands twice and a thunderbolt came towards Ty; he then instinctively held Chrom up high and he absorbed the lightning, forming yet again into a more powerful weapon: The hilt then changed into a golden metal, the pommel had updated with gems with colours of the current elements that Chrom now has, the blade is now more sharper with an extended blade and another magical rune had been etched onto blade. Ty then looked at Chrom in fascination with glowing eyes and said to the Storm Guardian "Thank you so much, your honor." The Storm Guardian then gave a small smile and went back into the heavens in the strike of a bolt.

Ty turned around and saw Haley hugging Dust, burying her face into his chest, crying and saying "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Dust then stroked her head and planted a kiss on her head, replying "It's okay Haley, you and Ginger didn't mean to hurt me." Ginger then said suddenly "No… I'M the one who should be sorry. I'M the one who started the fight in the first place…" Ginger began to tear up as Dust looked down at Haley and she nodded, implying him to comfort Ginger. Dust then smiled and went over to Ginger, who laid her head on Dust's shoulder, and rubbed her back gently whilst hugging her. Ginger then hugged back and said in between sobs "I'm sorry… I swear, neither me nor Haley…" Dust then replied "It's okay Ginger, it's alright. You two didn't mean to hurt me." Ginger sobbed a few more times before saying "Dust… I want to talk to you… to you and Haley… please…" Dust then looked at Haley and she nodded, so Dust agreed and he, Ginger and Haley walked up the hill to the house, leaving Ty and Fidget in the field. Ty then said "You want to grab a bite?" Fidget nodded silently in response.


	21. Turning In II

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 20: Turning In II

Ginger, Dust and Haley entered the house and went over to Ginger's bed, when they noticed Cassius's Spirit is still fast asleep on the couch, making them snicker a little. They then sat on Ginger's bed; Dust sat between Ginger and Haley and Dust started "So um… You two rekindled after that bout?" Both Ginger and Haley rubbed their arms awkwardly and looked away, also awkwardly, then Haley replied "Not right away, to be honest… I mean, we both cried when you bolted off to The Glade after we unintentionally hit you, then my locket suddenly dropped from my neck and Ginger saw it on the ground." Dust then curiously asked "Locket?" Ginger looked at Haley and the latter looked back in fear, then Ginger nodded in allowance and Haley sighed before she took off her locket around her neck and gave it to Dust, who opened it and saw Jin's Picture in it. Dust looked up at Haley and said "You and Jin… were dating?" Haley blushed at that comment and nodded gleefully whilst smiling sweetly; Ginger then said "She, Matti and their father came to Zeplich Village a week prior to the assault from General Gaius' soldiers and… Cassius himself. She met Jin as he was helping Fuse packing some supplies for one of the caravans heading back to Everdawn Basin and… well, let's just say they hit it off quite well." Haley snickered at that bit and apologised for it, but Ginger doesn't mind it; Ginger then continued "As the week progressed, their bond grew stronger and me and Jin's Parents approve of the match-up, but I was still skeptical of her at that time. A day before the attack, Jin and Haley were dating at that point and they made out on a rock formation with a boulder on the edge of it… that's when the event happened." Ginger and Haley looked down sadly and Dust said "If you don't want to talk about the next part, you can stop now." Ginger sighed and replied "No, its fine. Haley moved Jin against the rock wall and I believed that the boulder came loose because of it and it dropped down to them. Thankfully, Jin heard it moving and he moved Haley and himself out of the way just in time. I was frightened of what would happen if he didn't notice the boulder moving, but I'm glad he did; however, I was severely angry at Haley for putting him in danger and… well…" Dust then said "What? What happened next?" Haley then said suddenly "She called me an oblivious slut. In a sense, that's partly true, but after the fight we had earlier on, we talked." Dust looked at Ginger and saw her tearing up, feeling bad for what she said and what she had done; Dust then took off his hat and placed it on his lap, then he leaned over to Ginger and wrapped his arm around to her right arm and rubbed it. Ginger then buried her face in Dust's chest and hugged him tight, sobbing hard and crying tears into his shirt; she then said between sobs "Sorry… I'm so sorry… It's just so much…" Dust then patted Ginger's back gently and shushed her calmly, saying "It's okay Ginger. You've been through a lot, I know that." Ginger sniffed a few times, then she broke her head away from Dust's chest and said softly "Thank you… for everything. For Falana as well." Dust smiled sweetly and they hugged happily, as Haley welled with tears and sobbed too. Ginger then opened her eyes and said "Haley, is something wrong?" Haley then shook her head and replied "Not at all. I just love a brother and sister hugging happily." Ginger felt more at ease with Haley, so she broke off the hug with Dust and said "Haley and I talked about the events… and Jin. At the time I saw them almost getting crushed, I thought it was finally coming loose; recently, I just remembered that it was being supported by a wooden doorstop the width of a door-mat and the angle height of a toy soldier and it must have finally wore out at the time. I also saw her personality and, well we both agreed she's oblivious to her brother disliking you for starters… *Haley shrugged* and we both like Jin, but on our own reasons. Also, she and I has, or had in my case, a sibling; the difference being that Matti is about 7 years old about now and Jin would be about 25 by now." Haley nodded with her eyes closed, when a ghostly voice said "That sounds about right, Ginger." Jin's Spirit then appeared from a misty white smoke and Ginger said startling "Jin! Where've you been?" Jin then looked at his sister in concern and replied "I don't know if you got the concept of spirits, but we can't be in the physical world for long. We can't be trapped, but our link to the Life-Thread would be diminished if we kept out of the Spirit Realm for too long and we'll be nothing but wisps. In this case, I went to check on… our parents graves and placed a wreath between them in respect." Cassius's Spirit snorted himself awake and drowsily saw the others near the bedroom, then said "Sorry, I ruined something, didn't I?" Jin's Spirit nodded in confirmation and Cassius's Spirit squeezed his nose-bridge, sighing in regret; Ginger then cautiously asked "Cassius… why did you let the Moonbloods hit you?" Cassius's Spirit looked up at Ginger, not from annoyance but from regret, and replied "Because they need revenge. Happen I am a spirit now, I let them take their revenge on their kind's killer and I have to face the consequences. You don't have to believe me when I say that I deserve it, maybe more than that. Scratch it; DEFINITELY more than that." Ginger isn't sure if Cassius is being honest, but his expression is being straight and his eyes were fixed on her. Still, she hasn't forgiven him, mainly because he killed her parents and brother. Somehow, Cassius knew what Ginger is thinking right now, so he said "Look, I know I still am not getting your whole approval, but I'll keep out of your personal matters until I find a way to repay the pain I inflicted on you. Just not beating the hell out of me though…" Ginger just cracked a smile at that remark, then she cleared her throat and went back to her serious expression and replied "When it comes, I'll see it with my own eyes. Until then, I'm giving you a cold shoulder… but I am glad you let the Moonbloods beat you… *Pfft!* HAHAHAHAHA! S-S-Sorry, I couldn't get that image out of my head…" Cassius's Spirit nodded slowly and he and Jin opened an ethereal portal to the Spirit Realm, which stops Ginger laughing almost immediately and she said "Wait, where are you two going?" Jin's Spirit turned to Haley and he replied "The Spirit Realm. We've gotta regain our connection or we'll be nothing but wisps." Ginger began to cry, her mouth trembling and sniffing, when Jin's Spirit turned to Cassius's Spirit and he gestured to Ginger, letting him for one more physical contact before they return to the Spirit Realm. Jin's Spirit nodded in acceptance and he walked to his sister, who has her eyes closed and her head tilted down, still crying and her mouth still trembling, when Jin's Spirit gave her a sudden gentle hug, which Ginger replied quickly with a tight hug and sobbing hard. Jin's Spirit gently rubbed his sister's back with a warm smile on his face, when Ginger said "Jin… Please… Please don't go…" Jin's Spirit then replied "If I don't, I'll turn into a Wisp and I can't communicate with you at all. I'm sorry Ginger… *sigh* I'm also sorry for what I did that night, at Zeplich Village." Ginger sobbed hard at that part, then she lifted her head and rested it on Jin's shoulder before replying "It was justice, Jin. I knew you would die, but I didn't expect Cassius to die as well." Cassius's Spirit shrugged and replied "Me neither, but you are right: Justice has to be done, no matter the cost… well, mostly anyway." Ginger peeked at Cassius's Spirit with narrowed, welling eyes and saw the same straight expression he gave earlier on and she gave a slow nod in agreement; Jin then broke off the hug and lifted Ginger's chin a little before surprising her with a peck on the forehead, making her blush as she was still tearing up. Jin then said as he and Cassius went through the portal "We've gotta go now; see you later guys." Just like that, Jin and Cassius went through the portal and it shrunk down into nothing as Ginger said softly "See you… big brother." She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head to see Haley, expressively felt sorry for losing a loved one, when the front door opened and Fidget came in with a basket filled with Feeble Fruit, Louta Nuts, Wall Chicken and Cupcakes, with difficulty had it not been for Chrom holding the base as assistance. Fidget looked and saw Ginger had cried recently and she asked what happened; Ginger looked sombre and replied "Jin and Cassius left… they departed for the Spirit Realm. *sniff!*" Fidget got the basket onto the table and gave her a cuddle, which Ginger took it without a second thought; Ty then came in through the front door with a thin package and closed the door behind him, then saw the situation and saw that Cassius's Spirit isn't on the couch. He took a glance at Ginger and understood that Jin and Cassius had departed for the Spirit Realm, so he puts down the package next to the basket and comforted Ginger with a gentle rub on her arm, which she appreciates his concern. Dust then got up and went to Ginger's side, who noticed it and puts down Fidget on the couch before hugging Dust, saying "Their Spirits may not be here, but their souls are. That's good enough for me." Dust is initially surprised, then hugged Ginger back as the Fidget Doll that Dust held on in his knapsack fell out. Ginger noticed this and picked it up with a humorous smile and asked "What's this?" Fidget groaned at the sight of the Fidget Doll and replied ungratefully "That's a Plushie Me; Dust and, much to my regret, I had to get one made for Smobop in exchange for Reed's Demonic Box. I actually hate it really." Ginger chuckled a little and replied as she looked at Fidget's annoyed face "How could you hate it? You're adorable. This Doll fits the detailing perfectly; I might want to hold onto it… Forever." Fidget pulled her ears in frustration and exclaimed "I KNEW IT! I KNEW you'd say that! That's what Dust exactly said when we got the stupid DOLL! The tone as well!" Not surprising for Fidget, Dust, Ginger, Haley and Ty laughed about it and Haley gently took the Fidget Doll from Ginger's paws, who kindly lets her take it, and said "Oh really? Well, I might get over to Mordecai's and get one for me and Matti and keep them…" Fidget gritted her teeth and said "Don't say it…" Haley then teasingly finished "…Forever." Fidget shook her arms furiously and groaned in annoyance, saying "That's not getting old anytime soon." Haley gave the Fidget Doll to Ty and glanced to and fro from Fidget to the Doll and he asked curiously "Is the real Fidget ticklish?" Fidget turned to Ty and gave it a thought, then replied "I… I guess?" Fidget then looked at the other and saw sly smiles on them as they exchanged nods and she just realised what they're thinking of when Dust teasingly wiggled his finger on her little tummy, making her snicker suddenly and smile smugly, before she turned her head up and blankly looked at them and saw their devious expressions; she just said "Oh hell." Just like that, she was relentlessly tickled in the tummy and she laughed uncontrollably, flailing her limbs and tail around, trying to say "Stop… *Pfft!* Stop I- Hahahahahaha!" Dust then said teasingly "What? What are you saying, tickly girl?" Fidget then snorted often from her uncontrollable laughing and said "Please… Stop it… Hahahahahahahaha! *Snort!* Hahahahahaha!" Dust then tilted his head and replied "Your call, lil cutie." Just like that, they stopped tickle torturing Fidget and she laughed for a few moments until it subsided and let out a sigh of relief, before unexpectedly slumped on the table and began to snore. Dust gave a smirk and noted "Of course…" He then picked up Fidget and carried her in his arms, then he walked over to his bed and slumped on it as Fidget moved her body to lie her chest on Dust's, smiling cutely. Haley then softly told Ginger "Well, I'd better get back to my brother and pop. 'Night Ginger." Ginger bid her goodnight as well, when Haley sneaked over to Dust and softly said "'Night, Blade Boy." Dust then smiled warmly and replied softly "You too, Forge Girl." They then pecked their lips, unknown to them that Fidget opened her eyes a little to see them kiss and blushed faintly before closing her eyes for real. Haley then caressed Dust's cheek and went out the front door, when Ginger let loose and went to the bathroom to change into his pyjamas. Ty then sat down at the table, peering at the package, when Ginger got out and saw him looking at the package he brought and asked softly "What's it for?" Ty looked at Ginger, then moved his eyes to Fidget to make sure she isn't listening and whispered in Ginger's ear "Something in the future… please don't open and consume what's inside the package; that goes double for Fidget, especially." Ginger isn't sure what Ty has in plan, but agreed to his request and went over to Dust, who fell asleep, and gave him a peck on the forehead and whispered "Good night Dust." She then slipped into her bed and looked at Dust, who is smiling cutely; she smiled at this reaction and shut her eyes as Ty went into the bathroom to have a bath. As he was bathing, his thoughts was on the surviving villagers, especially Cheryl, and hoped they're okay; he then got out after a few minutes of bathing and got dressed into his sleepwear: a white singlet and deep blue boxers. He then exited the Bathroom and closed the door quietly, before laying down the Sleeping Bag between the beds and slipped into it before drowsing off.


	22. Escaping the Darkness

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 21: Escaping the Darkness

In another part of Falana, The Dark Elementalist had taken up position in the deceased General Gaiuss' Stronghold, since he doesn't want to risk any opposition. The Dark Elementalist is a humanoid figure shrouded in shadows, he was pure black in colour, has venomous purple eyes and has a deep red cloak attached to his back. He's currently sitting in his throne, pondering on who is defeating his lieutenants, when his personal messenger came running into the terrifying throne room, panting out of breath and saluted as he said "Your… royal darkness… I… have news…" The Dark Elementalist then nodded and said in a deep, bonechilling voice "Proceed." The messenger gave a few deep breaths until he was conditioned enough to speak plainly and said "My lord… have you been hearing rumors of a ninth elementalist, one that can harness all the 8 elements into one single body?" The Dark Elementalist nodded and the messenger swallowed before continuing "Well… They're true, sir." The Dark Elementalist suddenly stood up in surprise and the messenger kneeled before him, his head looking down and he said "Who is this 'ninth Elementalist'?" The messenger then replied "I've been given mixed reports, your worship. But most of them detailed a male Warmblood holding an enchanted axe." The Dark Elementalist gripped his hands and shook them slightly, muttering under his breath "That clever old bugger…" The Dark Elementalist still remembered the night centuries ago: He was hell-bent on seizing all the lands of Falana and the neighbouring provinces as its emperor and was storming the Elemental Fortress to prevent its leaders from stopping him, alongside his army and The Beast – his most powerful creation. The part he still growls to this day is the Light Elementalist throwing a hatchet out of the window and he ended up entrapped by the other elementalists as the Light Elementalist succumbed to his wounds. The Dark Elementalist then said as he snapped out of his memory "Where is he now?" The messenger then said in a shaky voice "I'm not sure, your royal darkness. We've sent Lietuenant Sharp south from here, but he didn't come back… I think it's possible this Warmblood has killed him." There was a trembling snarl behind the wall opposite of the throne, which The Dark Elementalist said to whatever is behind it "Still yourself, my child. We still haven't got all the facts yet. *The Dark Elementalist then turned to his messenger* And what about the prisoners in the dungeons? The ones from that miserable village a couple nights ago?" The messenger then looked up at his master and replied "Still the same; they're quiet except for the girl. She's still in tears." The Dark Elementalist sighed in annoyance and then said "Still… Tell the guardsmen to keep their guard up… and send the Shadow Hounds down south to find the target." The messenger nodded and rushed out of the throne room as the Dark Elementalist sat on his throne with a gleeful expression on his face.

Meanwhile, in the dungeons, the villagers from the attack are in cages and cells: Patrick and Cheryl's father are in a Cell, Mayor Grif and Cheryl are in the Cell to their right, Cleo and her little brother are in a cage and Jess and Leslie are in another cage above them. Cheryl has been crying for 2 days straight when she and the rest of the village were captured, including the town guard. The Shadow Army had taken the town guard and the Innkeeper for execution and Cheryl is crying because she has a feeling they will do worse for her; but she's most worried about Ty. She hopes that he is safe and okay amidst to what is happening, when the headguard came in and rapped the cell bars to grab her attention, before he said "You're next, pretty thing… I'll be right back with the keys." Cheryl clasped her hands in front of her mouth with widened and shocked eyes, scared that she'll be gone before she… sees Ty again. She then covered her head over her arms as she curled up, sobbing hard. Patrick then said suddenly "We… we have to get out of here. NOW!" Cleo then replied "Oh yeah? HOW?! That guard has the only keys to the doors and none of us has anything useful to escape this place! *sighs* No… we're good as dead." Cheryl sobbed painfully at that part and Mayor Grif looked down at her in pity and comforted her to the best of his ability, but it had no effect. Mayor Grif then puts his hands in his pockets and felt something metallic in his right pocket; he grabbed out the metal thing and saw it was a Lockpick he found before the village attack. Seeing a way out, he picked the lock on the cell door and unlocked it, which Cheryl saw it as an answer for escape. 2 minutes later, the remaining villagers were out of their cells; however, they heard the head guard's voice echoing from the corridor outside the jail and they looked around for any hope of an alternative route, when Cheryl saw a grate on the floor and she picked it up with great effort and placed it aside, revealing a way down. The villagers, though hastily, entered the man-hole and covered the manhole just as the head guards-man entered the jail and bellowed out curses.

They reached the bottom of the man-hole and saw it is a tunnel, leading where, they do not know but it certainly isn't guarded by Shadow Patrols, so it's something good anyway. They then followed the tunnel, with Patrick leading the way due to fighting experience and Cheryl felt something huge is coming their way and it wasn't a minute after that thought when they saw themselves in a massive, cavernous area and they saw on the other side is light and cold winds; an EXIT! They then rushed along the path to the cave exit, when Cheryl managed to stop the others as they were close to it just in time. A massive Shadow hand, the size of an inn, slumped in front of them and Cheryl fears that this is the Dark Elementalist's creation – The Beast. She then sneaked in a crouch and peeked on the edge of the stalactite and is scared at what she's seeing: Its hands and feet where the same size, but its limbs were as long as guardtowers, its torso is the size of half the size of a Blackmoor Mountain and its head is the size of a small village, its colour is the same as its creator, as well as its eyes… except it's asleep right now. Cheryl is slightly relieved it won't wake up, but she then mouthed to the others to sneak past it to the exit and they nodded in agreement. They snuck past it and reached the mouth of the cavern exit, when a bellowing voice rang throughout the cavern "THEY'VE ESCAPED?!" That noise, as well as the cavernous cave beginning to crumble down, woke up the Beast and the villagers fled out of the cave quickly and down the tundra terrain in the Blackmoor Mountains, when a sudden bellowing roar emanated from the cavern and sent a strong gale came towards them from the cavern and separated Cheryl from the rest of the villagers. The villagers fled on the trail leading to the Sorrowing Meadow as Cheryl tumbled down the snowy slope and landed in a thick sheet of snow.


	23. Trouble in Mudpot

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 22: Trouble in Mudpot

Ty woke up suddenly, his eyes widened because he had the same nightmare, but just stopped himself from screaming as it was still night… or well, morning I should say. He looked at either bed and saw Ginger sleeping peacefully on hers and Dust and Fidget are the same on the other, though Ty cracked a smile when he sees Fidget kissing Dust on the cheek… while asleep. Still, he needs to wake up properly and he felt something wrong… below Aurora; something bad is emanating below and Ty has a feeling it isn't just Shadows down there. He slipped out of the sleeping bag, rolled it up and packed it in its storage bag before changing into more useable clothing and grabbing Chrom and his shield. He then looked over his shoulder and saw Ginger stirring in her bed, but she doesn't appear to waking up, so Ty exited the house quietly and looked out to the west, wondering on how to get below… the answer came seconds later. "Excuse me sir…" Ty was startled and saw a blue-skinned terra child; he is looking distressed and he replied "Yes… Who are you?" Bopo rubbed his short arm and replied "My name is Bopo and I need Dust's help…" Ty rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and said to Bopo "Well, Bopo, I'm afraid he's asleep… deeply asleep at the moment. At a matter of concern, what's the trouble?" Bopo sighed a little and replied "My village, Mudpot, is being hounded… literally, by Shadow dogs and the villagers, including my momma and baby sister, are hiding in their homes." Ty widened his eyes and repeated "SHADOW HOUNDS?!" Bopo nodded his head with welling tears coming from his little eyes, his mouth trembling in fright of what he had just escaped from; Ty breathed deeply and said "Can I help your village, Bopo?" Bopo sniffed hard and replied "I'd like to say yes, but you don't have a talking—" Bopo stopped talking as he eyed Chrom and noticed the coloured runes on the blade; he then realised that Ty is like Dust… in a way and he said "On second thought sir, you can definitely help. I'll show you the way to Mudpot, but please, let's hurry." Ty nodded and followed Bopo outside of Aurora and towards the hole leading to Mudpot, when Chrom said "Be careful Ty. I sense Shadows below… but also a powerful foe as well." Ty then replied to Chrom "Duly noted." Bopo is in awe that Ty is indeed holding a talking weapon, so he led Ty down the hole and they've entered Mudpot to see 5 Shadow Hounds barking and scratching on a mudhut near a cave mouth and from what Ty can tell from Bopo's feared expression, his mother and baby sister are in there. Ty then equipped Chrom and his shield and he leapt above the hounds and hurtled downwards towards them with his shield, blowing them back with the Earth Source. He then stood up, twirling Chrom around as he eyed the Shadow Hounds, ready for them to lunge at him; 2 hounds lunged at his flank, but he swiftly took them down with CHrom wielding the Lightning Source, disintegrating them into ash. Bopo is astounded that Ty can harness the elements, when the other 3 hounds growled menacingly behind him; Ty glared them venomously over his shoulder and Chrom dual-wielded the Lightning and Air Sources, before Ty twirled Chrom rapidly and swung him horizontally, sending funnels of lightning and wind against them and the Shadow Hounds were tossed in the air and were repeatedly shock by jolts from the wind funnels until they dissipated into nothing. Bopo is glad he found help when he did; Ty had saved his home from those terrifying beasts and his family as well. Bopo then went down the platforms and rushed towards his house and yelled "Mom? Momma?" Ty turned around to see the mudhut's wooden door opening by an inch and a southern woman's voice rang through the crack "Bopo? Is that really you, sweetie?" Bopo said with welling tears "Yes momma… I'm okay, momma." The wooden door then swung open and Bopo's Mother came out: She was wearing an apron, a bathcap (I think), holding a wooden spoon in her right hand and a baby in her left arm. She was in tears when she saw Bopo and Bopo his mother and they embraced with a hug; Bopo's Mother then noticed Ty and said "Bopo, why did you bring this surface-dweller down here? He could've sent those hounds on us in the first place." Ty then replied with an attentive cough and said "Ma'am, I apologise for any hostility, but I got rid of those Hounds; your son was seeking out some help… from the… surface." Ty could've sworn he saw a vein on Bopo's Mother's forehead, because she wheeled to her son blankly and said emotionless "Is this true, son?" Bopo is very frightened, but he'd rather not lie in front of his mother, so he nodded and closed his eyes, preparing for a good whack from the wooden spoon… but what he got was a hug from momma and she said "That's a smart choice, son. But please tell me first, I need to—"Bopo's mother didn't finish her sentence; a bellowing, feminine scream came from the southern side of Mudpot and the rest of the citizens popped their heads out of the windows from the commotion. Ty then exclaimed "What in the Life-Thread was that?!" Bopo then replied "That was The Lady… She's in trouble!" Ty then raised his brow in confusement and Bopo forgot Ty didn't live in Mudpot, so he said "The Lady is the guardian of Mudpot; she's the one who makes the rivers flow with pure water." Ty understood now and looked at the direction where the scream came from, then said "How do I get to The Lady? If she's in danger, I must help her." Bopo then replied "Well… there's the teleporter where we entered Mudpot, but the bellowing scream had caved in the way, so it looks like you're going the long way." Ty shrugged and said "Figured as much. Don't worry, I'll do my best to save her Bopo. Rest assured." Ty then noticed a small tunnel below the hole where he and Bopo entered Mudpot and said "I'll be back, don't fret." Ty then leapt towards the tunnel and saw that it can fit a Raccoon, when Chrom said "Master, you can fit through; you just need to turn into your elemental Avatar and seep through it." Ty hadn't thought about that approach; the only times he had used his Elemental Avatar is during combat. Still, considering the lack of options, this is the best way to go; Chrom activated the Air Source and Ty transformed into a being of white smoke. He looked at his hands and is amazed at the effects, so he dived through the small hole and seeped through to the other side, re-materializing into his normal form. Ty then said "That was awesome." Chrom then chuckled and replied "Yeah, I thought you might Ty. Come on, let's get to the Lady." Ty nodded and rushed to The Lady's aid.

Meanwhile, back in Aurora Village, the sun had begun to rise from Abadis Forest and Ginger opened her eyes to see, much to her amusement, Fidget licking Dust on the cheek and, surprisingly, Dust is laughing softly because of it. Ginger then looked down on the floor and saw neither Ty nor laid out sleeping bag; she sat up and looked around the house and saw that Ty had left the house with Chrom, his knapsack, his shield and packed the sleeping bag on the end of Dust's bed. She sighed depressively, wondering if he left them to travel somewhere, but she didn't have all the fact in yet, so she got out of bed and went to the bathroom door, when she stopped and leered slyly at Fidget. She snuck over to the bed and stuck out her index finger, before she tickle-tortured Fidget, making her laugh loudly, waking up Dust as a result and he looked to see Ginger tickle-torture Fidget, who's screaming for her to stop. Dust then said "Morning girls." They stopped immediately and looked at Dust, saying simultaneously "Morning, Dust." Dust looked slyly at them and said "Had a good sleep, you two?" Ginger and Fidget awkwardly replied positively, until Ginger cleared her throat and excused herself because she wanted to freshen up. Dust then looked at Fidget and said "By the way Fidget, were you dreaming of sweets? Because I swear you think I'm one." Fidget is astonished to realise that Dust is aware that she's been kissing and licking him all night, but is even more surprised when he held her in his arms and nuzzled his nose on her belly, making her laugh so hard she snorted like a pig and blushed heavily from that, before saying "You really think I'm adorable, Dust?" Dust closed his eyes and nodded happily, which Fidget hugged him in adoration. Unknown to them, Ginger saw the hug through the crack in the bathroom door and is adored by the deep connection between the Seh-Mithrarin and the orange Nimbat. Then, there was knocking at the front door and Ginger yelled "Give me a moment!" Dust and Fidget heard scuffling in the bathroom and Ginger came out in her normal clothing and rushed to the front door and opened it, to see Cleo, Jess, Leslie, Patrick, Mayor Grif, Cleo's brother and Father, out of breath and weathered. Ginger then asked "May I help you?" Cleo nodded and said "We're looking for Ty."


	24. The Water Source

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 23: The Water Source

Getting to The Lady wasn't as easy as Ty thought it would be; true, he expected monsters, rockslides and even poisonous mushrooms, but there was also tentacles made from pure water and puddles that shoot out hardened water spikes in a fixed proximity. Worse than that, the bellowing screams of The Lady were getting worse and Ty had a close call with a collapsing moss pillar, which he muttered "Okay, now this is really getting on my nerves." Chrom then advised Ty "Focus, Master! We're close to The Lady… and another being; I believe it is doing the damage around us." Ty then looked around the various traps and concluded it MUST be the Water Source on the fritz… and really angry too. Ty then proceeded downwards towards The Lady's Chambers, narrowly dodging and evading an increasing presence of water tentacles, which Ty supposed it's either taken a form of a Squid/Octopus or a violent sea creature… hopefully not a hydra. In a sense, he was correct; when he had just reached The Lady's Chambers, he saw a feminine figure laid on the opposite end of the room and a small orb floating in mid-air. Chrom then said "Ty, The Lady is unconscious, but she'll be alright… provided we destroy the orb." Ty nodded and jumped on a platform, when the orb dived into the water below and the water began to splash slightly and steadily increased splashing violently; Ty heard groaning and saw The Lady stirring awake, groaning. She turned her head and saw Ty, then looked at the water basin and yelled "RUN!" Ty knew it was too late for running, because a serpentine-like head appeared from the basin and made a ferocious, bellowing roar, making Ty say "This is not good…"

Meanwhile, back at Aurora, Ginger, Fidget and Dust had been explained from Cleo of what happened after the Village Attack and what they witnessed after they escaped The Dark Elementalist's Stronghold; It wasn't good, as Ginger clasped her hands over her mouth, Fidget is hiding behind Dust shakingly and Dust is purely astonished to hear the events they've been through. Ginger then regained her courage partially to respond "So… if what you're saying is true… then The Dark Elementalist and his army are holed up in the Stronghold at Everdawn Basin… and underneath it is a resurfaced Beast in a large cavern in the Blackmoor Mountains Tunnel Network. Oh, this is really bad…" Fidget whimpered and buried her face in Dust's shoulder, her mouth trembling as Dust said "So you mentioned a boy named Ty, right?" Cleo nodded and replied "Yeah, he was present at the Village Attack, but he helped us escape, including the Town Guard and Cheryl… God, I really hope she's okay." Cheryl's Father sighed deeply, hoping the same as Cleo, when Ginger said "Yeah, we know Ty. He helped Aurora fend off some monsters with Chrom, his enchanted axe; unfortunately, he had left in the middle of the night and we have no idea where he went." Fidget then remembered something and asked Dust "Hey Dust? How long has it been since we've been to Mudpot?" Dust facepalmed at that and exclaimed "Ah hell, I forgot!" Ahrah then flew quickly to Dust's side and said urgently "Dust, you remember Lady Tethas? *Dust nodded* There's trouble again in her chambers, but Mudpot is safe from hostiles." Ginger raised her brow and asked "What kind of trouble?" Before Ahrah could elaborate, the ground had briefly rumbled and a massive spout of water had erupted from the south of Aurora, catching the attention of everyone in Aurora. When a small figure flew out of the hole, Dust said unsurprisingly "Ty… Come On!"

Half a mile where Ty entered Mudpot, he was laid down on his back, saying "I REALLY hate elemental beasts…" The Hydra then shot out from the hole and let out a bellowing roar at the north, which Ty turned his head and saw Aurora in the distance. Ty can't let it destroy Aurora, so he grabbed Chrom and stood up, looking at the Hydra defiantly, when it sensed that Ty had gotten back up and roared at him. Ty neither flinched nor backed away, but said "Ready Chrom?" Chrom then replied "For you master, always." Ty then shot a small smile and twirled Chrom quickly, causing a hurricane to surround the Hydra; it snapped at the drafts initially, but it was then pelted by bolts of lightning in the hurricane and looked at Ty venomously. Ty then opened his eyes and they glowed white, then he smirked at the Hydra and thrusted his right arm upwards, changing the Hurricane into a sub-zero temperatured funnel. The Hydra then attempted to snap again, but felt its movement being halted from below and peered downwards to see the problem: It was turning into solid ice. It then roared at Ty, who still isn't fazed; unknown to either one, Dust, Fidget, Ginger and the surviving prisoners arrived at the scene and witnessed the battle. The Hydra then growled as it was already frozed to its neck and let out a weakened roar as it was fully frozen, when Ty stopped the Hurricane and threw Chrom at the Hydra, shattering it into millions of tiny pieces and came back to Ty's hand; the same orb that Ty saw in The Lady's Chambers fell to the ground and rolled to his feet. As Ty picked it up, he saw a light-blue aura inside it and realised it must be the Water Source, when Lady Tethas said "Power. Determination. Morality. Those are the three things that define you… Prime Elementalist." Lady Tethas then came out of the hole and landed softly in front of Ty, who kneeled in front of her and replied "My Lady, I know my role of defeating the darkness… and I know my place in protecting those who are defenceless against such an opponent." Lady Tethas then placed her hand on Ty's shoulder and said "And that is why I shall give you the Water Source. No one but the Prime Elementalist can defeat The Shadow Army and The Beast." Lady Tethas then telekinetically grabbed the orb and opened it, as Dust, Fidget, Ginger and the surviving prisoners watched as Ty is given the Water Source; just like the other Elemental Sources, it is fused with Chrom and he evolved again. Chrom then floated in mid-air and his pommel changed into a stainless steel bauble with 8 sockets on it; 5 already have been fitted with the respective elemental gems. The hilt has now an arcane veil that changes colour into brown, teal blue, light grey, navy blue and light blue, respectively from the current elements that Chrom has. And like always, Chrom has an additional rune etched onto the blade, now glowing with the respective elemental colours. Lady Tethas then said "It's so good to see you again, Seh-Mithrarin. Although General Gaius is gone, I'm afraid a more sinister threat has taken his Stronghold. Fortunately, they're not drinking the water from the streams and rivers I've filled." Ty turned and saw Dust, Fidget and Ginger; he's actually astonished to see the villagers from the Village Attack alive and well, when Cleo, Jess and Leslie exclaimed "Hi Ty!" Ty then smiled softly and holstered Chrom and tried to say "Hey girls." But he was tackled to the ground before he even said a letter by the Three Lotus' and they repeatedly pecked him in the face, which Ginger quipped "Well, he's an unexpected chick magnet." Dust, Fidget, Mayor Grif, Cleo's brother and father and Patrick snickered at that remark, when Ty then got up after politely asking the girls to get off of him and said happily "Hi Mayor Grif. Cleo's Brother and Father. Pat… Uh… where's Cheryl?" When Ty said that, the villagers awkwardly looked down and Ty realised "She's not..?" Mayor Grif then said, understanding Ty's question "We got separated from the escape; she's fallen down a snowy slope in the Blackmoor Mountains, but we don't know to be sure." Ty took this news hard; he felt shattered that Cheryl had been separated from the others, but he hoped that she's alive. Ginger can see the same pain in his expression; it's the same one when she learned of her parents deaths at Zeplich Village, so she walked to Ty and held his hand, saying with deep compassion "Come on, Ty; you need some rest." Although Ty isn't expressively comfortable, he needs some time to ponder, so he agrees and Ginger led him back to Aurora.


	25. Assassin's Redemption II

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 24: Assassin's Redemption II

Ginger escorted Ty back to her home, as Bean and Calum exchanged words as they looked at Ty and Ginger passing by, Moska and Sarahi looked at them in concern, Gianni, despite his higher social status, felt pity for Ty and Avgustin expressed pity for Ty; Ty then asked Ginger on why the villagers are looking at him all of a sudden, which she replied "Well, I'm not sure to be exact, but I did see some renegade Gaius scouts talking to Mayor Bram as me, Dust, Fidget and the survivors from your village left to witness you fight against the Water Source." Ty looked back and wondered if the scouts had found evidence proving the attack was a desired target, when Ginger unlocked the door to her house and said "Let's get you on the—"She stopped when she saw something already on the couch and Ty looked up to see Cassius' Spirit already on it, looking at a weathered photo he's holding with heavy sorrow when Ginger finished "…Couch." Cassius' Spirit looked over his shoulder and looked back at the picture, which Ginger felt Ty getting her grip off of him and he gestured her to sit next to Cassius, which she shook her head adamantly, whispering "In case you've forgotten, he's killed my family!" Ty then replied "And in case you've forgotten, he's let a large group of Moonbloods beat him up willingly! Besides, he's a Spirit now, NOT a Soul." Ginger then whispered "Yeah, well… guh… if you have to use logic." Ty sighed and pinched his nosebridge, saying softly "Just ask him what the problem is…" Ginger sighed and looked at Cassius' Spirit venomously, then glared at Ty and said quietly "Alright… alright…" She then went over to the couch and looked down at Cassius' Spirit, who looks very depressed; she then looked at Ty, who gesture her with his head towards Cassius and she sighed before, with heavy reluctance, sitting down next to Cassius' Spirit. He didn't notice her sit down next to him, but he felt it didn't matter; she was still hot at him for killing her parents and brother and his soul along with Jin's in Dust doesn't help the situation. Although Ginger is hot towards him, she couldn't help but examine the photograph and saw a blonde-haired female Warmblood with a somewhat familiar youthful Warmbood, which in the background is a village; however, Ginger doesn't recognise it or know it either. Cassius' Spirit noticed Ginger eyeing the photograph and she immediately looked away from him, when he said "I had a family too… I still remember my youth (laughs softly), it was happier times, really." Ginger didn't look at Cassius' Spirit, but she didn't hesitate to ask "Who is the girl in the photo? A friend?" Cassius' Spirit didn't reply verbally, but he just sighed sombrely and laid his head on his free hand. Ginger then reluctantly looked at Cassius' Spirit and saw him being deeply saddened at the question; she then sighed and said "If you don't want to talk, I'll—"Cassius' Spirit then replied "No… its fine. It's just… it's so hard to speak about my personal life and in my blind actions, I've ruined yours." Ginger then looked down depressively, still haunted of the attack on Zeplich Village and the loss of her home and family; she then thought " _Why? Why is he being so sympathetic with me? Has he found reason or just to taunt me? Happen he may have let a group of Moonbloods beat him to a pulp the other day, but he still isn't good in my books_." Cassius' Spirit looked at Ginger and saw her shedding a tear; he felt so horrible for attacking innocents under the rule of General Gaius and slaughtering everything in his path and Ginger is the sole reminder of their pain and suffering. He then had an idea and went to the kitchen to grab a large pot from a drawer and he tapped gently on Ginger's shoulder, which she looked up at him venomously; crying, but venomously. Cassius' Spirit then held the handle end to Ginger and she asked "What are you doing?" Cassius' Spirit then replied "Letting out your anger." Ginger looked suspiciously at Cassius' Spirit as she held the pot in her right hand and said "How do I know you're not joking?" Cassius' Spirit then replied plainly "Because I let a large group of Moonbloods bash me up for a few hours straight for what I've done to them. To you, I've killed your family, but my arrogance had led me to my downfall. After what I've witnessed in the Spirit Realm and recalled a memory from my youth, I've decided to change the error of my ways. Now come on, go ahead and bash me up with the pot." Ginger isn't sure about it, but considering he had gave her something to hit him with, she shrugged and whammed the base end of the pot into Cassius' face, sending him laid down on the wooden floor. He groaned in pain and Ginger, somehow feeling good about this, said "What you've done towards my life, that wasn't all of my anger I used." Cassius' Spirit then replied, albeit painfully "Then keep hitting me… I deserve the pain you give to me." Ginger then gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes and said "With pleasure." She then whacked him and whacked him with the pot, having a LOT of anger against her family's killer and showing no signs of relenting, which Cassius' Spirit didn't complain at all. Ty watched as Ginger beat Cassius' Spirit up with a Pot, closing his eyes with every swing she made with it, when Dust opened the front door and saw Ginger beating the hell out of Cassius' Spirit with a pot. Although Cassius' Spirit deserve a punishment, he feels heavily guilty about it; thus, Dust stopped Ginger taking another swing with the pot and she thrashed around, demanding Dust to let her go, which the former calmed her down and telling her to look in his (Cassius') eyes. Ginger leered at Dust and did what she was told, then saw Cassius' Spirit's eyes and saw they were glistening with horror and he shielded his face with his arms, which is heavily bruised from the wild swings and Ginger, although holding the pan, began to feel that Cassius' Spirit has indeed changed. She then dropped the pot and began to tear up, burying her face in Dust's chest, who gently hugged her and rubbed her back sympathetically. Cassius' Spirit then looked at Ginger and Dust and breathed a depressive sigh, before he grabbed the photograph and sat up on Ginger's bed, looking at the photo with regret. Dust then noticed Cassius looking at the photo and asked him at what it is about; Ginger sniffed a few times before she turned her head towards Cassius' Spirit; Cassius looked at them and when he saw Ginger's remorseful expression, he can't be so enigmatic about the photo, so he sighed deeply and replied "Me… and my older sister, Karen."


	26. A Killer's Past

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 25: A Killer's Past

Dust excused himself as he felt this is strictly between Ginger and Cassius' Spirit; Ginger didn't know whether to believe Cassius' Spirit, but another look at the photo is proof enough for Ginger; still, she has to ask "You're joking… No way…" Cassius' Spirit glumly shook his head, then looked at the photograph with deep remorse and started "I was born in a village between the Sorrowing Meadow and the Blackmoor Mountains; it was a small place, surrounded by pine trees and Willows and a grove was nearby too. My family consists of me, my older sister Karen and my parents…" Cassius' Spirit's ears drooped when he mentioned his parents and Ginger, starting to feel something for him, said in concern "If you want to stop, you can." Cassius' Spirit took a deep breath and replied "No… I was blind to not see pain, so I'm being honest with you with my life. *deep sigh* Anyway…" Cassius' Spirit then continued, remorsefully continuing his story "My father has Anger Management issues and my mother… is depressed and keeps herself isolated to keep away from dad; my sister, on the other hand, is the only good thing in my life. She's the only one who helps me with meals, chores and keeping away from the house until the sun sets; she's also good-hearted, gentle, patient like a saint and doesn't get angry with me. To be honest, you would be a good friend for her." Ginger had cracked a smile at that remark, saying "I'd bet…" Cassius' Spirit smiled gently at Ginger's smile, reminding him of Karen; Ginger then looked at Cassius' Spirit with a small grin and said "What?" Cassius' Spirit let out a short, calm laugh before replying "Well… it's just your smile reminds me of her. That same, warm, loving smile I still remember of Karen." Ginger felt flattered by that remark, when Cassius' Spirit felt sad all of a sudden and continued "One day, when I was 12, my father had a random fit of rage and was holding a knife… *Ginger expressed concern* He was looking at me and Karen in the back of the cottage and he kicked the door open hard; Karen noticed him first as he was charging towards us and as I heard his yelling coming closer…" Cassius' Spirit sobbed hard before continuing, stifling him mouth with his fist; a stream of tears coming down his right eye "Karen pushed me out of the way and took the blow." Ginger, stunned with shock, softly said "Oh my… Cassius, I'm so sorry to hear that…" Cassius' Spirit sobbed hard, tears running from both his eyes and continued "It was, without any doubt, the worst thing that has ever happened to my life. Dad realised what he did as well, he had blood on his hands… literally; he fell to his knees and saw in horror what he has done. He then looked at me and saw how his anger has affected him… and the family. I heard Karen's last words to me… 'Brother… don't…', but she fell dead before she could finish her sentence. What happened next, I cannot remember, but I recalled my first meeting Gaius 7 years later." Ginger felt bad for Cassius' Spirit and asked "Your sister's death was on your mind still at that point… right?" Cassius' Spirit glumly nodded and said "I told Gaius about it and he convinced me that everyone in the world can do that same action and he wants me in his 'group'. If I had better understanding of him, I would have declined… but, I accepted." Ginger's ears drooped and said "So the only reason you stayed by Gaius' side all those years… is because he tricked you verbally and mentally because of Karen?" Cassius' Spirit nodded in confirmation and replied "In a complete nutshell, yes. When I do get on a break, I go over to my sister's grave and pay my respects. After the events of Zeplich Village and… Jin's and mine's death, the Life-Thread showed me my childhood and I was horrified to see how low I've been since that event and how foolish I believed in that genocidal maniac I've bonded with." Ginger, starting to understanding a lot, replied "And now you're redeeming yourself because you want to repair the damage you've done." Cassius' Spirit nodded in confirmation, then smiled calmly and said "Ginger… I've done a lot of bad stuff under Gaius' wing and hurt a lot of people… but your life I've damaged the most and I will do whatever it takes to repair it." Ginger felt reassured by that remark and looked at the opposite wall thinking of what he's done so far, before sniggering at the recent attempt to redeem himself, which Cassius' Spirit said "What?" Ginger tried to stifle her laugh, but it didn't do much good; still, she replied "Like getting whacked with a cooking pot, for instance?" Ginger bawled out laughing and Cassius' Spirit began to laugh as well, saying "Not sure, but you can always wake me up with a bucketful of freezing water again." Now both of them bawled out laughing on the wooden floor, with Ginger banging her fists of the floor; suddenly, there was knocking at the front door and Ginger steadied herself up, laughing still from the reminder and her laughter died down when she saw Colleen there, looking heavily sad and had been crying for a few minutes. Ginger then knelt on her knees and asked "What's wrong, Colleen?" Colleen sniffed a few times before replying "It's Corbin… he's gone."


	27. Corbin in the Dark

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 26: Corbin in the Dark

Cassius' Spirit perked his ears up and stopped laughing instantly when he heard Colleen tell of Corbin's disappearance; Colleen broke into tears and Ginger hugged her sympathetically, shushing her comfortably whilst patting her head gently like a bigger sister. Cassius' Spirit stood up and saw Colleen's saddened expression, pitying her for not finding Corbin, when his right ear twitched; Cassius' Spirit passed through the front wall and went down the west slope as Dust and Fidget came up and the former asked "Colleen, what's wrong?" Colleen is too saddened to reply, so Ginger relayed the situation "Corbin has gone missing… *sighs* if Gianni sent him on another stupid laundry chore—"Colleen shook her head and said "No, Mr. Gianni said he'll choose Avgustin for that now… but then again, I swear I saw him glance at Corbin venomously a few times…" Dust, Fidget, Ginger and Ty (who is still on the kitchen chair) are suspicious that Gianni might know where Corbin went, when Cassius' Spirit shouted near the western gate "Guys! You'd better get down here!" Ty, Ginger, Colleen, Dust and Fidget then went down the hill and saw, to their surprise, Gianni with his head in his hands, distraught about something; he then looked at them, especially Collen and said "You want to know where Corbin had gone to?" Ty and the others, especially Colleen, nodded and Gianni sighed before continuing "Well, after being conflicted by the poison ivy from the last time that Corbin did my laundry for me, I confronted the lad about it and he told me I was being selfish and harsh and we had a bit of an argument… a heated one until… I hit him. He looked at me with tears and I looked at him angrily and he just fled through the west gate and turned right; I think he was heading to—"Dust then interrupted "The Sorrowing Meadow!" Gianni facepalmed himself and exclaimed "After that, I began to see his point and realised how I was only caring about my social status. Please I beg of you, rescue Corbin from that dreadful place; I swear I heard a growl in that direction last night." Fidget felt insecure at the 'growl' part and asked "I don't wanna go in there again; the time me and Dust were in there, we saw monsters with blades for hands!" Ty sighed and said "Okay, if you guys don't want to go to The Sorrowing Meadow, I'll go; I can't risk that boy's life in a dangerous place like that." Dust then replied "You're not going alone Ty. I'm coming along, with or without Fidget." A voice from behind asked "Coming along for what?" Dust turned to see Haley in her casual clothing and, although he doesn't want to, he has to tell her "Corbin fled to The Sorrowing Meadow because of Gianni and me, Ty, Chrom and Ahrah are getting him back." Haley expressed shock, hearing all sorts of sinister creatures lurking there and said "Please Dust, don't go… I can't lose you again." Dust then placed his hand gently on Haley's shoulder and said "Haley, Ty needs help traversing through that place; besides, I can't let some monster hurt another innocent." Haley isn't sure if Ty needs help, but she then held Dust's free hand and said firmly "Then I'm coming with you. If you're going on a journey, I'm with you until the end." Dust is a little surprised at Haley's decision and her devotion to him, when Fidget said "Me too… we might encounter those blade monsters again, but we can handle them." Ginger then decided to go as well, not wanting to lose Dust again because of their brother/sister bond and Ty then gestured his head and said "Well, let's get going then. Can't keep the lad waiting for a way out in that place."

10 minutes later, Ty understood immediately WHY it was called The Sorrowing Meadow in the first place: it is a depressing place with dead grass, dead trees, abandoned and crumbled buildings, grey clouds covered the sun with frequent rumbles of thunder and Ty saw, as he cringed, undead creatures and a few blade monsters ahead of them. Still, they had to push on to rescue Corbin from this place, so Ty breathed deeply and twirled Chrom quickly before throwing him towards the creatures, blowing them away, even the bladers; a few of them literally blow up from the impact before Chrom returned to his master's hand, which Fidget compliments "I REALLY don't ever get enough of that; ESPECIALLY when you summoned a hurricane!" Ty cracked a smile and they proceeded onwards deeper into the meadow; meanwhile, Corbin is cowering near a pillar as an unknown creature looms over him with an intimidating snarl. He peered at the creature with frightened and welling eyes, scared that he'll be killed and regretted fleeing into The Sorrowing Meadow in the first place. Back to Ty and the group, they're getting close to where Corbin is, but they're facing a large, bulky undead monster and Ty isn't sure he can take him on and can't risk using ranged attacks or summoning a hurricane; Dust then tapped Ahrah on Ty's shoulder and Ty agreed with Dust's decision. The two heroes then jumped down, wielding their respective weapons as they face against the bulky undead creature as well as slimmer undead minions; Ty worked together with Dust to take down the minions, doing co-op moves like Ty throw Dust in the air and the latter throwing the former to the ground, smashing Chrom to it and sending out an Aoe elemental attack or Ty doing a leg sweep and uppercutting a minion towards the air before Dust grasped its torso and slamming it lethally into the ground. Soon only the bulky guy is left and both Haley and Ginger expressed concern, when Haley felt something in her satchel and grabbed out a flask with a bright orange liquid in it, bringing her an idea: she shouted the boys to watch their heads and threw the flask towards the bulky undead monster; it shattered into a blazing inferno and reduced the bulky undead foe into ashes. Dust and Ty are amazed at Haley's invention and Dust exclaimed "God I love you, Forge-Girl." Haley felt flattered and replied "I love you too, Blade-Boy." Dust then smiled at her and she turned to Ginger, who puts her hand on her hip and replied with a small, yet noticeable smile "Okay, I take back everything I said in that argument. That… was awesome." Haley laughed a little and thanked Ginger for the compliment before they jumped down and joined the boys toward the clearing where Dust, Fidget and Ahrah last saw Cora and her husband, The Baron.

Corbin then shielded his eyes, quivering in deep fear as the unknown creature just laughed deviantly before saying in a deep, scary voice "Any last requests?" Corbin then heard a strange noise and replied, albeit still shaking "Yeah, make sure the ground is soft." The unknown creature was confused and said "What?" After that, Chrom hit it from the back of its head and sent him face down into the dark, wet ground before Chrom flew back to Ty's hand. Corbin is relieved that Dust is here to rescue him, as well as Ginger, Fidget, Haley and Ty, who he is also impressed. Dust then rushed over to Corbin and asked him if he's alright, which he replied "I'm alright… except I've broken my ankle as I ran blindly in tears in this scary place. I just want to go home…" Dust then noticed that Corbin has a bruise on his left ankle and sighed because he doesn't have a salve or a kind of restorative to heal that wound; Ty then got an idea and he asked Chrom to activate the Water Rune, which he did gladly, catching on Ty's idea. Ty then rushed over to Dust and Corbin, holding out his left palm and a small sphere of pure water had grown on it before he rubbed it on Corbin's Ankle; he felt pain initially, then felt it lessen until it was gone and saw the bruise has gone. Corbin then hugged Ty and thanked him for healing him, which Ty hugged back and patted Corbin's back, when he saw the unknown creature getting back up and realised it was a Werewolf. It's fortunate there was no blood moon until next year, but still, he told Dust to get Corbin and hide somewhere. Dust then noticed the Werewolf getting up and carried Corbin over his shoulder as the latter saw Ty standing up against the Werewolf, who isn't fazed by his determination; Ty then evaded a few quick swipes from the Werewolf and did a low sweep before kicking him back while the latter was in mid-air. The Werewolf then made a bone-chilling howl and wolves had appeared around the clearing, surrounding them and ready to lunge them, when Ty smirked and changed into an Earth/Electric Hybrid Avatar and summoned a powerful Hurricane, trapping the wolves and the Werewolf in its winds and striking them with sudden jolts of lightning and shards of hardened earth until they're either beaten to a pulp or turned into ash. Ty then swung Chrom horizontally and yelled "Disperse!" Just like that, the hurricane subsided and the remaining intact bodies fell around them before turning into ash as well; Corbin looked at Ty in admiration and exclaimed "That… was… the most… awesomest thing I've EVER WITNESSED!" Ty rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, feeling flattered that Corbin described his elemental potency as 'awesome'. Ty then said "We should get you back to Aurora Corbin, Colleen is worried sick about you." Corbin nodded, when they felt a tremor and wondered what it was, when Ty began having a migrane and kneeled on the ground, which Dust and the other ran to him and asked what is wrong; Ty then felt a powerful presence and looked to his left, his eyes widening with horror as he said softly "By the Life-Thread…" The other looked in the direction he's looking and are horrified at what they're looking at…


	28. Fleeing a Nightmare

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 27: Fleeing a Nightmare

Standing before them, glaring at them with red emissive eyes, an overall size of half the size of one of the Blackmoor Mountains, is The Beast; It then looked particularly intently at Ty, who is still kneeling in pain and rigid with fear. Dust then said with a cracked voice "Ahrah?" Ahrah then replied "Master… this thing won't be effective from any known weapon, even Elysium Blades." Ty then found some voice in himself to reply "And Chrom has about 5 elemental sources; we need all eight in order to fight him…" The Beast glared at them aggressively, which Fidget, shaking like an out-of-control vibrating chair, said in a really high-pitched voice "I think we should run…" Dust then replied "For once, I agree in fleeing… RUUUNNN!" Dust grabbed Corbin before he fled with the others as The Beast chased them; despite his size, he catches them up, albeit slowly as the group fled from the seemingly unstoppable foe. Ty felt as he was running further north something familiar up ahead, when The Beast, tired of chasing them, decided to end it quickly by smashing his massive fist into the ground and the shockwave is steadily catching up on the group. Ginger then looked back over her shoulder and yelled "What do we do now?!" Ty noticed what seems like a grove up ahead and he asked the group "Can you guys swim?" Haley then bellowed "Of course we can swim if it call for it!" That was the answer Ty needs, because he picked up the whole group and didn't lose speed despite carrying 3 young adults, a child, an Elysium Blade and an orange nimbat in his arms and shouted "Trust me; it calls for it!" He threw them into the hole leading into a grove as the Shockwave caught up to him and flung him over the tree line and into a hole on the edge of the Blackmoor Mountains. The Beast, angry that his target had evaded him, roared so loudly that the ground shook and the hole leading into the grove had collapsed before he sunk into the shadows, reporting back to his creator.

Dust, Ginger, Haley, Fidget and Corbin, although are in a darkened area, are grateful that Ty saved them over himself, but Ginger felt that Ty didn't made it to the treeline; Fidget then felt a draft and turned to see a blue glow ahead and flew towards it, with Dust, Ginger, Haley and Corbin following behind. They came upon a small, cavernous room with glowing mushrooms similar to the ones underneath Aurora, but they're small, likely to be only young fungi; Dust knew they cannot stay in here, so Ahrah glowed bright blue, providing an excellent source of light and floated in the air towards a cavernous corridor, before turning towards the group and said "Looks like this way is the only option and it doesn't seem to be any hostiles… at least, those I can sense anyway. But I also sense… sadness. Grief. Loss. Be careful." Dust and the others nodded and they proceeded cautiously through the cavernous corridor.


	29. Recovering the Past - Love

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 28a: Recovering the Past – Love

A couple miles north from the grove, there was a hut made from leather, thick branches and patches of mud; there was a tanning rack and a small carrel next to it. Inside, a certain Warmblood is bundled in thick blankets to counter the cold terrain she fell unconscious in and she woke up groggily. Cheryl looked at the ceiling and saw that she's in a hut somewhere and she's bundled in thick blankets; she then turned her head to the right and saw that something or someone had left a tray with a hot mug of cocoa with a marshmallow and some almond biscuits on it. She then tilted her eyes up a little to see a small campfire still flaring, so it must have been recent. Her left ear twitched and looked to her left to see drapes marking as an entry-way and a figure came through it. Unknown to Cheryl, it was a Moonblood with the same stance as Elder Gray-Eyes, but this one is wearing purple robes and is holding a cane, is female and has white eyes as if she was blind, reminding Cheryl of Ty. The Moonblood then said "I'm glad you're up, little missy. Took quite some effort to get you back here, but you're okay now." Cheryl then remembered: She fled the prison and the carven with the other villagers, but a dark, powerful gale had separated her from the others and she fell unconscious in the thick tundra. She then asked "Excuse me Ma'am, but I must know the direction to Aurora Village… You wouldn't happen to know the way, would you?" The Moonblood gave it a thought and replied "Possibly; my husband resides there after the defeat of General Gaius, but now I cannot go there because I sensed a few minutes ago a massively powerful dark presence in that direction." Cheryl guesses (unknowingly correctly) that it might be The Beast, then she thought of Ty and hopes he's okay; the Moonblood then asked "Is something troubling you, little missy?" Cheryl looked up at the Moonblood and saw a firm look in her eyes, so she sighed and replied "Well… there is, actually. See… it's about this boy…" The Moonblood then smiled calmly and said "Ah… The Prophesised Prime Elementalist. I believe they named him Ty?" Cheryl is astonished that the Moonblood knows Ty somehow, but she asked a question and nodded before the Moonblood continued "I'm afraid a powerful dark presence has swatted him into the interior of the Blackmoor Mountains… but I sense life in him being regenerated; thank the Life-Thread for the Water Source." Cheryl is relieved that Ty has survived thus far, then grew a saddened expression and the Moonblood asked in concern "My dear, what is wrong? You should be glad that our hero is alive after that encounter." Cheryl sighed and replied "It's not that, Ma'am… It's just… I might be too late for… *sob* I'm sorry…" The Moonblood then placed her hand on Cheryl's shoulder and gave her a handkerchief, which Cheryl took politely and dabbed her tears away before the Moonblood asked "My dear… are you infatuated with The Prime Elementalist?" Cheryl sniffed and, despite wanting to not admit it, she gave a slow nod; the Moonblood them smiled calmly and continued "My dear… nothing is too late for everything. Even in death, an individual's soul will never leave their interest." Cheryl finds that comment reassuring, then she said "When I first saw him, it was when he first entered the home village with Melissa and Geoffrey holding his hands on either side. Me and the rest of the village, save for Patrick, saw his horrified face and it looked like he went through a hellish scenario. A few days after he settled in the couple's Lumber Mill, I decided to introduce myself to him, but when I arrived at the door, I pondered on what to say to him; I didn't get the time when the door swung open and Mr. Geoffrey was standing there, wondering what I want. I peeked past his torso and saw Ty sleeping on the couch; admittedly, he's cute when he's asleep, but instead of me asking for Ty, I asked if there is any Firewood they can spare." The Moonblood prepped up some herbal tea as she remarked "That must have been awkward, darling." Cheryl then replied "It was VERY awkward… Anyway… 5 years later, the kids in the village had grown into young teenagers and I learned that my father wishes me to wed Patrick when I turn 21. Now, me and Patrick are dating at that point and, although I didn't want to admit it, I prefer Ty over Pat any day of the week… hell, I WANT him more than my father's wishes for sure. Ty still kept to himself at that point, but Geoffrey allowed him to work at the Lumber Mill and Jess, Cleo and Leslie are infatuated with him because of his good looks while I'm stuck with Patrick." The Moonblood then poured the tea into matching tea-cups and sighed in annoyance, remarking "I'm guessing Ty didn't like Patrick?" The Moonblood passed a filled Tea-cup to Cheryl, who took it kindly and replied "Not just Ty, also Cleo, Jess, Leslie… and admittedly myself. You see, in the years that follow, he flirts with the other girls and taunts Ty whenever he can and thinks I wouldn't notice. *scoffs* OF COURSE I noticed; I'm not stupid! Still, when my father and Patrick aren't around me, which is quite rare, I peek at Ty at times and saw him taking care of Melissa and Geoffrey, working at the chopping pile, watch him do push-ups or, rarely, he goes to the village and gets some supplies for him and his adoptive parents." The Moonblood took a sip of the tea and remarked "You must have idolised him; why not talk to your father about choosing Ty over Patrick?" Cheryl sighed depressively and replied "He'd never allowed it. Even though he showed pity for Ty when he first arrived, he still prefers Patrick over Ty." Cheryl took a sip of the herbal tea and felt some tension released as it went through her system and continued "One year, 2 years before the village attack, it was my turn to host a sleepover and I choose Cleo, Jess, Leslie and, to my desire, Ty as guests; however, his foster parents were sick that time, so I reluctantly chose Patrick instead. Honestly, I just wanted to berate him for assaulting him verbally, but I didn't for the sake for my father; in the evening before the attack, I left Ty to go back home and I finally told dad everything. He was surprised that I prefer a 'lowlife' like Ty over Patrick any day of the week, but he relents and prefers to go with my wishes over his." The Moonblood then asked "You didn't tell him your infatuation with him?" Cheryl sighed depressively and replied "I wanted to… every waking moment I wanted to profess my… my love for him, but I'm not sure now." The Moonblood then sensed something and Cheryl asked her "Ma'am, what's wrong?" The Moonblood opened her eyes in realisation and said "My dear, can you kindly come with me down the mountain? There's something you'll find down there…" Cheryl then replied "Yes Ma'am… my name is Cheryl, by the way." The Moonblood then nodded and Cheryl took her hand as the former replied as they left the hut "My dear… my name is Elder Moon-Eyes."


	30. Recovering the Past - Loss

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 28b: Recovering the Past – Loss

Ty woke up weakingly on the cold, stone floor and got up to see that he's inside the Blackmoor Mountains and looked up to see white clouds forming in a crack he fell through when The Beast flung him with the Shockwave. Ty then sighed and said "Alright, we cannot go back the way we came because of the big brute, but we must go forward Chrom… Chrom?" Ty checked his sheathe and saw that Chrom isn't in it, which Ty is starting to worry about before saying "*sighs* great… NOW I don't have a weapon… guess I'd better push on; no way in hell I'm staying in this freezing cavern." Ty then proceeded through the frozen cavern and shimmied along a few narrow paths before realising that it's beginning to be more earthen: clovers, grass, mushrooms are beginning to appear more frequent as he proceeds ahead. He then stepped on a piece of wood and saw it was a weathered sign; he picked it up and blew the dust away, to reveal the text that he read ('This way to Nutgrove Village'). Ty felt something familiar when that name is mentioned, so he went along the passage, hoping to see if the village is intact. Meanwhile, Ahrah stopped leading Dust, Fidget, Ginger, Haley and Corbin through the cavernous tunnel to hear metal hitting an earthen chute to their left; as Fidget hid behind Dust in fear, they can hear faint grunting noises from the conflicting metal growing louder and before they know it, Chrom fell out and hit the face end on the wall on their right. Fidget let out a sigh of relief to see it was just Chrom, when Ahrah asked "Chrom! Where is Ty?" Chrom then replied in a groan "The Beast flung us both through a cracked opening in the Blackmoor Mountains from the shockwave, but we got separated… by that, I meant I bounced off and fell down the chute as I saw my master unconscious, but barely alive." There was silence when Chrom said that, but Ahrah said "Chrom, I do not know where we are heading, but we must regroup with Ty; do you know a way out of here?" Chrom then gave a thought and looked around the area, before noticing something on the end wall and floated towards it, which Ginger said sarcastically "Oh, a stone wall. That's news to me…" Chrom then pushed a hidden panel and a secret door opened on his right, revealing a stone, spiral staircase, which Chrom looked back at Ginger and teasingly asked "You were saying?" Ginger then replied "I stand corrected." They then headed up the stairs, hoping to catch up with Ty.

Meanwhile, Cheryl and Elder Moon-Eyes are coming down an ancient path leading to the base of the Blackmoor Mountains, which Cheryl asked "So, you mean to tell me that General Gaius has a severe distrust of your kind and his plan to eradicate them would have worked if not for the individual referred to as the Seh-Mithrarin?" The Elder nodded in confirmation and asked Cheryl to look at the land below, which she did curiously and her eyes widened at what she's seeing…

Ty had a somewhat sense that he's very close to the village, when a voice said in his head "Prime Elementalist… it is time to reveal your past…" Ty jumped with a start and the voice continued "Do not worry, I am not your foe… go through the crack to find what was left of your past." Ty looked at the crack and went through it to see something he didn't expect: a ruined village, overgrown with moss, vines and various fungi. But more importantly, Ty began to see something he definitely wasn't expecting: a memory. The village, having been ruined, shifted into perfect condition and the area began to colourise into a sepia-tone. He saw in the memory a few houses, a small covering area, a beautiful garden and a town hall with a stone watchtower on the roof. He then heard a child's voice that sounded so familiar, he turned and saw… his 8-yr old self. No-one apparently noticed present Ty, but Ty supposed it was just a memory, so he focused on his 8-yr old self and the latter is playing with a toy soldier and a toy armoured horse. A male Warmblood, in his 30's, then came up to his 8-yr old self and said "Hello son, you love your presents?" Ty gasped as he saw the image of his father; as his 8-yr old self replied with a cheerful smile "Yes daddy! I love them! They're the best… you and mommy are the best." Present Ty's mouth began to tremble as sad piano music* began to play in the background; 8-yr old Ty then hugged his father, which the latter replied "Son… no matter what happens, we will be there for you. Your mother and I, we love you and we'll see to it that we'll protect you with our lives." A woman's voice then rang from the house "Come on, my big men! Dinner's ready!" Present Ty knew it had to be his mother… his lovely, beautiful mom with the patience of a saint and a warm smile of the golden sun. A tear ran from his right eye as he saw his 8-yr old self and father run into the house, when the memory shifted into night-time and present Ty saw two lights in the house: the living room and his room. Ty then decided to check in the living room and heard his parents voices discussing quietly "Honey… Our baby boy is now 8 years old. Why do you think I've given him a big teddy bear to sleep on?" Ty's father then replied "Margaret, it's not that I don't want to celebrate our son's birthday, I'm just concerned about all of our safety; you've heard the rumors, right?" Ty heard his mother sigh before saying "Unfortunately, Alex, yes. But they ARE rumors, there is no physical proof that they're real." Present Ty is sure they're referring to the Shadow Army, so he exited the living room and went over to his bedroom window to see his 8-yr old self hugging a massive teddy bear while he's asleep; but as he began to catch wind of what was going to happen next, it went. A blaze of fire began to torch the farthest house and the occupants ran out to see what's going on, when they are impaled by dark, ethereal lances and a swarm of Shadow troops began to destroy the village.

Meanwhile, Chrom and the others had managed to exit the caves and found themselves in an almost destroyed but certainly overgrown town hall and Chrom had spotted Ty across the way, but it seems he's in a memory and heavily advised the others not to break the connection, when they saw a female Warmblood and female Moonblood with the strikingly familiar stance as to the one Elder Gray-Eyes has. Everyone, save for Ty, then closed their eyes and shuddered and when they opened them, they saw what Ty is seeing: destruction to his home village. Ty then turned to see the same Shadow troop he saw back in Abadis Forest and saw him shook his head and entered his family's home; they then heard Ty's mom scream and griefly said "Alex… Alex… *gurk!*" Ty and everyone else heard his 8-yr old self scream "Mommy!" They then heard wood groaning from inside and heard a familiar voice saying "Hrmph! Wrong Village! I could've sworn this was the place… Ah well, Felix! Damage the supports! No Survivors!" A Big bulky Shadow troop with heavy armour then replied "Yeah boss, like always boss!" He then swing a warhammer horizontally and the roof collapsed onto him. The memory shifted 2 hours later, by present Ty's guess and saw Melissa and Geoffrey jogging towards Ty's ruined home and heard his 8-yr old self groan, which they hurriedly lifted the roof and grabbed him out of there. Melissa then asked "By the Life-Thread… Geoffrey… he's the only survivor…" Geoffrey then replied, adjusting his glasses "I'll be damned, this young one has survived something catastrophic… but he hasn't got a place to stay." Melissa then said "We can take him in… after all, we do need the extra help and one more under our roof isn't breaking the bank." Geoffrey nodded and carried 8-yr old Ty in his arms as they left the remains of Nutgrove Village, when the memory has shifted back to the real world. Ty then remembered everything now, when he noticed something under the rubble in his old home; he went to it as Cheryl and the others approached him cautiously and grabbed out his family picture: It was just him and his parents, so he was an only child. Ty then fell on his knees and began to shed tears because he has indeed lost his home and lost his memory from the attack; he then glanced at the photo and saw a figure he was hoping to see again… "Cheryl." Cheryl gave a warm smile and placed her hand on Ty's shoulder, which he felt it and looked up behind his shoulder to see Cheryl for real, who expressed sorrow for Ty. Ty then said "I… I thought…" Cheryl then admitted "Me too…" There was a moment of silence, no one said anything, when Cheryl and Ty embraced each other with a compassionate hug and closed their eyes while tears flow down like a stream. Dust, Fidget, Ginger, Haley, Ahrah, Chrom and Elder Moon-Eyes are moved by the tender moment, as Corbin is confused about it, but decides not to speak about it. Ty then reluctantly broke off the hug gently and said "Cheryl… there's something I want to admit… i… i—"Cheryl then replied "I know; me too… ever since when you arrived in the village, I felt… attraction whenever I see you." Ty is surprised that Cheryl loved him and is aware that he loves her too, then heaved a heavy sigh and said "But even still… I can't risk dating until I destroyed The Beast. I can't risk losing you, Cheryl." Cheryl felt shattered that Ty cannot date her until he has defeated the Shadow Army, but knew that he's making the moral choice, so she replied "Well… if you finished the task, please come back to me. Please…" Ty saw Cheryl saddened by his choice, so he held her hands and softly headbutts her forehead, saying sympathetically "I'll do my best…" Cheryl then looked in Ty's eyes and felt more at ease when she sees them, when Ty said "But… I suppose a peck wouldn't hurt." Cheryl smiled a bit at that remark; although it won't be a proper kiss, it is a form of affection anyway, so she pecked Ty in his lips and blushed deeply, saying softly "Your lips are so soft…" Ty blushed and replied "Yours are as well." Cheryl felt deeply flattered at that remark, when Ty twitched his right ear and turned to see a bright yellow light looking at him and it shot towards him and Ty flinched; however, it didn't hit him or even got close, because a figure was forming into a masculine figure with white emissive eyes and wearing a robe. It then spoke "Prime Elementalist, it is such an honor to meet you. I see that you are wielding the weapon I have made; it has been such a long time, old friend." Chrom then approached his creator and replied "It certainly has been, my creator." Fidget then suddenly said "Whoa whoa whoa! Hang on, I thought Elysium Weapons are the oldest weapons in Falana!" The Light Elementalist then noticed Fidget and replied calmly "I guess in a sense, you're correct. But the weapons that me and the other 7 Elementalists control their respective elements; Chrom, my latest weapon, can control all 8 Elements, but I've enchanted to choose a mortal with a pure heart, who's compassionate and worthy to wield it. Even after 4000 years, Chrom has wisely chosen Ty—"Fidget then blurted out in significant shock without even thinking "4000 years?! That's about a millennium older than the first ever Nimbat!" The Light Elementalist then said "Yes… Chrom is 4000 years old, but is in a triggered comatose state until the worthy wielder awakened him. Over the millennium, mortals, even Nimbats tried to wield Chrom, but Chrom deems them unworthy; he chose Ty because he understood reason, is compassionate because he took care of his foster parents and is worthy because he saved the village with a corrupted Rock Golem with nothing but his bare hands." Fidget drooped her ears and said blankly "You're kidding… no way…" Cheryl then smirked and replied "It's true, I was there when it attacked. I saw Ty single handedly take down the Golem." Ty felt flattered and said "Well, I admit, I thought I was going to fail, but my unknown strength says otherwise. Anyway, why do you approach me, your worship?" The Light Elementalist then replied "Because without the Light Source, you won't make a dent against The Beast; acquiring the Dark Source is another matter entirely. Thus, I shall give you my power – The Light Source; however, to find the Fire Source, you must travel to the village in the Blackmoor Mountains." Ginger felt reluctant at that direction, because it's where her life was taken away from her and also where Dust learned who he is. Ty saw the pained expression in Ginger's eyes, but knew that there wasn't any other options, so he said "Alright your worship, we shall proceed on the journey, but we still need to take this boy back to Aurora." Elder Moon-Eyes then said "That is no problem; I'll just activate the Teleporter to take him there directly." She then went over to an inactive Teleporter, when Corbin said "Thank you so much Miss… but I swear, your stance looked exactly the same as this elderly Moonblood back home." Elder Moon-Eyes then picked up on that and replied "Ah, that must be Gray-Eyes…" Ginger then said "Yeah, exactly. How do you know him?" Elder Moon-Eyes then replied "Well of course I do! He's my husband, you know." Ginger, Fidget and Dust are astounded to hear that claim, when Ginger replied "He didn't mention you to me…" Elder Moon-Eyes then went "Eh… his work leading the Moonbloods doesn't include time with his wife, y'know. Right! It's up and running again!" The Teleporter hums to life and Corbin is ecstatic to go home, which Haley piggy-backed him over her shoulders and said to Dust "You'll be alright, Blade-Boy?" Dust then replied "Aside from climbing a perilous mountain range to face a Fire Elemental in a ruined village and face a great calamity? Yeah, I'll be good." Haley is no stranger to sarcasm, but she knows Dust will pull through on the journey, so she pecked him on his lips and said "Later, Blade-Boy." Dust then said as Haley jumped in the teleporter "See ya, Forge-Girl." Ty then wielded Chrom and now has a bright yellow gem in a socket on the pommel with a sixth rune etched magically on the blade and now has an aura around him and Ty. Cheryl then came by his side and said "That was a hard thing to watch, seeing the Light Elementalist sacrificing his own source, but he was the only Light Source left, so there wasn't any other options." Dust then sighed heavily and said "Well, he did the right thing, but we must get up to Zeplich Village… if the Fire Source is there, we've gotta get there first before the enemy can. *Turns to Cheryl* Cheryl, I can't risk your life if you come with me…" Cheryl knew he would say that, but she also knew that he is protective, so she said "I'll go to Aurora then… Wait, is the other villagers there too? Is Dad—"Ty then nodded in confirmation and Cheryl hugged him in relief before she jumped into the Teleporter. Ty them smiled, feeling relieved that Cheryl is safe now, before he turned to Dust, Ginger and Fidget and said "Come on… we got a mountain to climb."


	31. The Fire Source

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 29: The Fire Source

Scaling up the Blackmoor Mountains is no easy feat, but Ty had the sudden feeling that defeating The Beast is a lot harder, EVEN with all 8 elemental sources. The bright side, however, is that monsters is keeping their distance from Ty's Group; Fidget is having the distinct feeling that Ty and Chrom are the main source, but for once, she is not fretting from a surprise attack from monsters. Ginger, on the other hand, isn't feeling pleased; she isn't looking forward to come across her former home again OR coming across The Beast again, but she trusts Ty and Dust's actions and she mentally admits that those two boys are pretty cute… despite one having her brother's soul and both of them already in a relationship. Her thoughts were cut short when massive snowballs crumbled above them and fell towards them, but Ty, acting quickly, wielded Chrom and slashed them with lightning, reducing them into puffs of smoke instantly. Ty then looked ahead and saw they got to go through a frozen cave in order to reach Zeplich Village, which both Ginger and Fidget reluctantly agreed. Ty's Group knew which kind of ground they preferred; after making a few paces into the cave, they were sliding on thin ice, but fortunately it wasn't thin enough because they weren't heavy enough to break it. Despite slipping a couple of times on the icy floor, they managed to get up on a higher level and found themselves in a darkened cave with light on the other end, so Chrom switched to Light and he innately glowed brightly, which Dust quipped "Well, no need for glow sticks now." Ginger and Fidget sniggered at that remarks as Ty, who is taking the upcoming battle seriously, leered at Dust and rolled his eyes before proceeding ahead; Ginger understands that Ty is focused on the upcoming battle, but thinks that a good joke wouldn't hurt, when Fidget sat on her shoulder, looking at Dust with a faint smile. Ginger saw this and nudged her with her shoulder and Fidget turned her head to see Ginger gesture her head towards Dust happily; Fidget hugged Ginger in thanks and flew in front of Dust, who caught her in his left arm and she snuggled up on his chest, which he doesn't mind in the slightest. Ty looked behind his shoulder to see Fidget cuddled up to Dust's chest and smiled a little; he's aware he's serious at the moment, but it's only because he cannot risk any more lives. His thoughts were drained away when a sudden blizzard came upon them, making Ty yell "DAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" His yell echoed up the mountain and a heap of snow fell on him, leaving only his eyes visible underneath the white pile; Dust, Fidget and Ginger tried to suppress their laughter, but they failed and roared in fits of laughter as Ty narrowed his eyes in annoyance. He tried to say 'Please get me out!' but all that comes from the snow is *Mmmph! Mmm-mmm-mmmph!* They didn't hear them at that time, as Dust steadied himself in laughter on a protruding rock, Ginger laughing on her side and banging her fist uncontrollably and Fidget was on all fours and banging her fists; Ty sighed unsurprisingly and narrowed his eyes calmly to wait for their laughter to subside.

An hour later, the laughter finally died down and Dust, Ginger and Fidget breathed deeply before finally deciding to help Ty, who is shivering violently and sneezed himself out of the snow pile, falling backwards onto a fair sheet of tundra, his nose having a blockage and his eyes looking puffy. Dust and the other two didn't need checking twice; Ty has gotten a cold after being trapped underneath the snow for, much to their surprise, about an hour. Dust held out his hand, but Ty, having enough of their foolish attitude, swatted it away and stormed off along the path just as it was blocked by a sudden avalanche. Dust, Ginger and Fidget felt ashamed for not helping Ty out of the snow pile, when Fidget began to shiver as well, notably due to her teeth chattering; Dust covered her with his own cloak and she purred contently from the warmth from Dust, saying "Thank you Dust." Dust smiled, when Ginger said "Now how are we supposed to get up to Zeplich Village?" Dust and Fidget looked up at the ledge and thought the same idea when they saw some platform upwards to keep them from the avalanches, when Ginger turned around and saw what they are seeing, then said unamused "Oh hell…"

10 minutes later, Dust, Fidget and Ginger finally got to the top, though Ginger could've gone worse because her fur has traces of snow after slipping off a platform and fell onto the tundra, before she just missed an oncoming avalanche by climbing back on the platform. Ginger knew that they're close to Zeplich Village, when she saw an orange glow on the cliffs above them and realised that the Fire Elemental is up there, so without even need to tell, they hurried up to Zeplich Village, Dust and Fidget taking care of the monsters as Ginger kept out of their way; nearing the cliff that leads to Zeplich Village, they heard a loud noise from behind and looked to see ice spikes shooting out towards them, prompting them to flee towards the cliff. However, another trail of ice spikes shot towards them from the cliff entrance and they were stuck between the ice spikes from either direction, when they heard the increasing noise of a familiar noise and saw the ice spikes shattered just before they got to them. They let loose a sigh of relief and they proceeded to the entrance; when they arrived at Zeplich Village, they didn't see any immediate fires, when Fidget's right ear twitched and she flew behind Ginger's old home and Dust and Ginger understood why she flew in that direction: there is a similar orange glow and felt some warmth from that general direction. They then went around the back and saw, to their astonishment, Ty warming up near a campfire with a plate of recently cooked sausages with a feminine figure made of pure, orange flames sitting next to him and realised it must be the fire elemental. Ty looked up and said "Oh, hey guys! I'm glad you're here now! How about some food and warm heat?" Ginger and Dust are unsure about it, but the sight of Fidget stuffing herself with the cooked sausages cinched them to accept. Dust and Ginger sat on the opposite side and helped themselves to some cooked sausages as Fidget enjoyed a soft, gentle scratch from the Fire Elemental, which Dust supposed that the Fire Elemental isn't going to hurt them; however, Ginger asked Ty "How did you get up here before us, Ty?" Ty had swallowed his bite and replied "Well, after we got separated from that unexpected avalanche, I proceeded along the path that's going steadily upwards. However, I was getting too cold to go further and felt some warmth close to me… REALLY close; I turned to my right and saw some feminine hands on my hips that were enflamed, yet they didn't damage me or my equipment. Then this sweet fireball helped me up to Zeplich Village and saw the damage in the area at what seemed like a year ago…" Ginger shrugged and replied "Well, you're not wrong there Ty." Ty saw some pain in Ginger's eyes, but decided not to press the matter as this place held her past like his ruined village, so he continued "So, I explained about the situation to her and she gave me the Fire Source before I even asked about it and… well, as you know, Chrom had gotten a slight different look now." Ty showed them Chrom and saw he had affixed the Flame Gem on the socket, as well as another rune etched on the blade and now the colour Red is now shown in the opaline vein. Ginger and Dust then glanced at each other in pity and Ginger opened her mouth, when Ty interjected "Yeah, I know you guys didn't mean to not help me out of the snow. I'm also aware that you made a quip to make the trip a bit more light-hearted… but honestly you guys, I can't lose you because of stuff like that. I mean, I do appreciate the uplifting spirits, but it wouldn't help in combat to be frank." Ginger and Dust silently agreed with Ty, when a flash of light appeared from around the house next door and Haley appeared around the corner, wearing a light blue puffed jacket, a navy blue/pink striped beanie, a pair of red gloves with white fluff on the ends, pink sweatpants with brown mudboots. She came towards Dust and laid her head on his shoulder, smiling cutely because she always feels happier whenever she's with him, as Fidget slyly smiled, aware what she and Dust did before he returned to them back at Denham Village. Ty then broke off by saying "Anyway, the last source we need to acquire is the Dark Source… but the Dark Elementalist won't give it up via force and The Beast is his child…" Ty then had a sudden thought and added "Which means… that we need to convince him to give it to us because creations have the willpower to turn their backs on their masters." Fidget, Ginger, Dust and Haley perked up at this idea and Ahrah said "Hmmm… that isn't a bad idea… if the Dark Elementalist is cruel and malicious… The Beast will be significantly more than that… he'll have to agree… I hope." Ty heaved a sigh and replied "Me too Ahrah, me too." 10 minutes after the break, Ty and the others left Zeplich Village to Everdawn Basin, unaware that there is one more obstacle before their final battle.


	32. Assassin's Redemption III

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 30: Assassin's Redemption III

It took 2 hours for the group to reach the old Moonblood Encampment in the Everdawn Basin, but they saw it was in ruins. Ginger has a bad feeling about this, because the only other group to understand the technology of the Moonbloods is Gaius' Men; Fidget is hiding behind Dust's shoulder in fear and Haley held Dust close, not wanting to lose him again. Ty sensed there was evil nearby, but not as close to The Beast or the Dark Elementalist; he then noticed an audio journal underneath the rubble of a hut and went ahead to play it: *"Final Scouting Report: General Gaius and his men have somehow gotten access to Moonblood Tech and the rumors of their Camo Harness turned out to be true. I am uncertain we can win this battle, but Elder Grey-Eyes is confident with the 'secret weapon'. (sighs) I don't know anymore, I just want this war to be over…"* The recording had stopped and Ty looked at the others, who looked uncomfortable at the recording, when the wind had suddenly picked up speed and spiritual hands has grasped onto Ginger, Dust and Fidget and pulled them further into the Basin, which Haley screamed in horror and her eyes welling with tears. Ty knew that wasn't the Dark Elementalist or The Beast, but also knew it was something or someone else, so he grabbed Haley in his left arm and rushed into the general direction where Dust, Ginger and Fidget were pulled into. However, Ty had to evade collapsible flooring and fend off some Molten Golems so he can proceed and exclaimed "Honestly, when this is all over, I'm getting one hell of a rest! Pardon my language, Haley." Haley just shrugged, apparently used to language by now, when Ty had stopped abruptly close to a cliff and saw something unbelievable: A circle of familiar armoured soldiers that are spirits and Dust, Ginger and Fidget are tied up in the centre. He then spotted a hooded spirit proceeding towards the centre and he forced Ginger's head up; she was in tears and is horrified to see that it was General Gaius himself with a scar on his left eye. He then spoke in a deep voice to his men "Disobedience. That is the crime that this girl had committed when she was asked not to sympathise with the enemy and her sentence has been increased significantly because she had evaded our forces from her village and months after that. Now… we have her… and she WILL be punished!" Gaius's Soldiers cheered and chanted her punishment with death; Gaius held up his hand and said "The executioner… my close friend… shall do the honors. Cassius!" Ginger is astonished and shattered because she had been tricked by Cassius' Spirit all this time and she fell for it; Cassius then emerged from the circle of soldiers, holding his blade in his right hand with a malicious smirk. Ty and Haley are horrified at this scene, as Ginger is now angry and said hotly to Cassius' Spirit "I trusted you! And all this time, you're still in league with Gaius!" Cassius' Spirit then unsheathed his blade and replied sinisterly "Of course I have! I'd never leave my mentor's side, even in death!" Gaius' Spirit then bellowed "Finish her off!" Cassius' Spirit held his blade close to Ginger's neck and raised his blade for the finishing move, when Ginger asked "Why are you doing this…?" Cassius then replied "The only thing that matters, traitor…" Cassius' Spirit then winked at Ginger, which Ginger realised that Cassius had indeed changed and in a swift move, Cassius' Spirit kicked Gaius' Spirit away before finishing "Righting my wrongs." Cassius' Spirit then twirled his blade and leered at his former mentor, who got back up and bellowed "You traitor! I took you under my wing, I've trained you, I've made you my weapon and you're siding with the enemy?!" Cassius then expressed anger and retorted "Look, 'boss', for the years I've served you, you got me and the soldiers to believe we're fighting the enemy, when in reality, you just wanted mindless pawns to eradicate a race you deem 'unnatural'. No offense guys…" Gaius' Soldier's Spirits took none from Cassius and the latter continued "They didn't even start the war in first place; YOU did! You manipulated not only your army, but also other beings throughout Falana, including Lady Tethas in Mudpot! I followed blindly under your command and now that I'm a spirit, I can see much more clearer now; I'm taking down someone who I should have refused in the first place, I'm taking down a monster who doesn't care who gets in his way of his genocidal campaign, I'm taking YOU down Gaius, for killing your own people and an innocent race!" Gaius then bared his teeth angrily and readied his blade for the kill, saying "I've already died from the Seh-Mithrain months ago, but I still wouldn't hesitate to kill. Goodbye, 'friend'!" Cassius' Spirit then made a surprising smirk and said "Farewell, you devil." Just as he said that, a line of molten earth charged towards General Gaius and an earthen fist punched him high into the air; Cassius' Spirit is then shot up after Gaius' Spirit with a gale of wind and lurched his blade towards Gaius and impaled his chest before throwing him down towards the ground hard and landing on his feet perfectly. Ginger, now seeing Cassius' Spirit fighting Gaius' Spirit with help from Ty, now believed that Cassius has seen the light; Gaius then stood up, disoriented from the impact and bellowed "Who did that?! WHO?!" A voice from behind replied softly "Me." Gaius turned quickly, but didn't react quick enough, because Ty kicked him away with his earthen-enhanced foot and Gaius then tried to push himself up; Ty then summoned an electric hurricane around Gaius' Spirit and the latter screamed in pain as he was struck with powerful bolts of lightning inside the hurricane and bellowed "Help me!" Gaius' Soldier's Spirits and Cassius did nothing to help as Ginger, Dust and Fidget watched Ty transform into an Earth/Electric Avatar hybrid and said in a resonating voice "No one shall help a monster with no heart; he deserves death and ONLY him!" Just as Ty finished, the molten ground below Gaius' Spirit begun to rise and pillars of fire surrounded him, making him express fear for the very first time. Cassius' Spirit then gestured his head towards Gaius and Ty understood instantly; Chrom's blade lengthened with both the Earth and Storm Elements and Ty jumped up with a bellowing yell before smashing the ground and Gaius' Spirit is consumed with 4 elements at once and screamed in unimaginable pain before he explodes into microscopic pieces, unable to recover eternally. Ty then panted as he looked at the spot where Gaius' Spirit is destroyed and he formed back into normal, as Cassius' Spirit untied Ginger first, saying calmly "Sorry for that act, Ginger. I'm just lulling Gaius into a false sense of security." Ginger then replied in a fatigued tone "Well, you did a hell of a job." Cassius nodded his head when he untied Ginger and the latter stood up and turned to him before continuing "First things first…" *SMACK!* Ginger slapped Cassius' Spirit across the face, sending him on the ground and he replied "Yeah, I had that coming. DEFINITELY deserved that." Ginger then added as Cassius' Spirit got up "And also…" What Ginger did next surprised everyone present: She hugged Cassius like he was family and Cassius' Spirit, surprised to receive it, hugged her back and shed some tears, reminding him of hugging his older sister when he was a child. Ginger then broke off the hug and said "Thank you… I didn't think you'd have reformed, but you proved me wrong." Cassius' Spirit then gave a gentle smile; the same smile that her late brother gave her whenever he perked her up. They heard someone sliding down the molten hill and saw it was Haley; she instantly went over to Dust and hugged him close with her eyes welling with hot tears before untying him. Ty then came up to the platform and said "Well, that's an obstacle got rid of… and good riddance too; I've heard of General Gaius' Campaign back in the village." Cassius' Spirit shrugged, knowing of Gaius' intentions and not wanting to tell his misdeeds at present as Ginger got to untying Fidget. Haley managed to untie Dust and she helped him up; Dust felt weak because he was beaten up by Gaius the most, when Fidget and Ginger offered to help him to the Moonblood Encampment and Dust lets them help. One of General Gaius' men then cleared his throat for attention and said "Is there anything we can do? Scouts have located where the Dark Elementalist is residing, but we need someone to follow in the assault." Ty looked at Cassius' Spirit, who nodded at him and Ty turned to the others, who nodded as well as they helped Dust to get some recovery; Ty then breathed deeply and turned to the soldiers and replied "I'll lead the assault. It's time to finish the main threat and ensure the safety for the people of Falana." Gaius' Men, flesh and spirit alike, kneeled before Ty with their right arms across their chests and their heads bowed down, saying simultaneously "We shall follow you… Prime Elementalist."


	33. Final Battle - True Monster

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 31a: Final Battle – True Monsters

The Dark Elementalist is sitting on his throne, angry that his child had failed to kill the Prime Elementalist and assured him that if he fails again, he will personally destroy him without any effort. As he sat there, he still thought back on the first war and wondered why the other elementalist sealed him away, besides the obvious; however, he was interrupted as his messenger barged into the room, looking panic-stricken and panting heavily before he found his voice and said in a wheezy voice "Sir… we… are being… attacked…" The Dark Elementalist then bellowed, making the room tremble "WHAAAAAAATTT?!" Meanwhile at that very moment, the front gates have been melted into slag because Ty threw an enhanced Molten Rock at it, making it explode into a lava pulse on impact as the soldiers followed Ty into the stronghold. As Ty had kicked down the wooden gate, the scene shifts to the Dark Elementalist, hastily plotting a way to subdue the Prime Elementalist; something he doesn't approve of. He then felt his child's presence behind him and thought up of a fool-proof idea; Ty and the soldiers then charged into the courtyard and the former shielded the latters with arcs of lightning because Shadow Archers had shot a volley of ethereal arrows, but prove to be effectiveless against the Storm element. Ty then shot the arcs at the Shadow Archers and they were disintegrated into hot ash before Ty and the soldiers stormed ahead into the main building, as the Dark Elementalist gave a sinister laugh in his throne room, looking maliciously at his plan. Ty and the soldiers were blocked by Shadow Spearmen and Guardsmen and they raised their spears and shields, respectively; Ty then twirled Chrom rapidly and threw him at the enemy, knocking them aside hard through the brick walls and returning to his masters hand, saying "I never get tired of that, master." Ty gave a short laugh and replied "Me neither Chrom. Me neither." The scene shifts into the dark throne room as Ty kicked open the doors and saw a towering figure behind a red, tattered cape and Ty gruffly said "The Dark Elementalist." The figure turned around to reveal a storey-high, dark figure with red emissive eyes and a bracelet holding the Shadow Element and he replied "Prime Elementalist, I've been expecting you." Ty then said "I figured that; look we don't have to fight…" The Dark Elementalist then laughed deviously and replied "So you're a pacifist, are you? I'm afraid that won't work…" The Dark Elementalist then stepped over to the right side of the room and continued "In saving your allies." He pulled back the curtains to reveal Dust, Ginger, Fidget, Haley and to Ty's horror, Cheryl tied up and gagged and Ty, not wanting to let them die, asked "Dark Elementalist… please, hear me out." The Dark Elementalist snorted and replied "Normally, I wouldn't even bother with petty small talk… but since you took care of my Commander without a sweat in that little village AND survived an encounter with my child, I'm all ears." If there is any time to recover the Shadow Element, it is now; Ty then said "The Beast is your child… but it still has the will power to betray you and kill you." The Dark Elementalist's smile waned a little and replied "I am aware of the risk of making a powerful force with my own flesh, but I have made a failsafe should he have ever rebelled against me." Ty then saw a note of anxiety in the Dark Elementalist's eyes and said "But what if he found out what the failsafe is? Would he try to get rid of it?" The Dark Elementalist's smile then waned a little more and replied "Well, he will TRY if he ever found the failsafe… I mean, there are only two things that can stop him if THAT happens: the master of the Shadow Element or you, provided you acquire the Shadow Element." As Ty and the Shadow Elementalist discussed, The Beast then unleashed his true form: He grew to the size of the highest Blackmoor Mountain, veins of purple energy run throughout him, his eyes and mouth now glow dark red and can absorb Shadows, living or not. He then looked down at the stronghold and made a malicious smirk as Ty said "Okay, so, let's say that your child had destroyed your fail safe, killed you and left me in an inch of my life without knowing it and the Shadow Element had been absorbed into Chrom, would then be a good time to take down the bastard?" The Dark Elementalist, now seeing where Ty is getting at, replied "If I weren't so negotiable, I've killed your allies by now. But seeing the timelapse between The Beast's creation and now, you'd have made an exceptional point. If anyone has a chance against him, it'd be you… Prime Elementalist." As the Dark Elementalist grabbed for his bracelet, The Beast swung his arm into the throne room and sent them down near a dormant lava bed. Ty, The Dark Elementalist, Dust, Fidget, Ginger, Haley and Cheryl looked around to see they are between the base of an active volcano and a dormant lava lake; as Ty tried to get up, he felt immeasurable pain in his ribs and collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily as Cheryl panicked over Ty's state, saying with immeasurable pain as well "T…Ty…" Ty saw Chrom flung by The Beast into the centre of the dormant lava lake, before they turned and saw to their sheer horror that The Beast had evolved into a true nightmare. Before they can move a muscle, The Beast kicked Ty into a nearby cliff and is buried from a landslide of molten rock and Cheryl is heavily distraught for losing him. The Dark Elementalist looked at his child and then narrowed his eyes, doing the first decent thing he has ever done: He pulled the Shadow Element from his bracelet and threw it to a comatose Chrom, which it rolled to the blade and absorbed the energy. Chrom then raised slowly off the ground as he began to emit a pure, white light and it grew larger, making The Beast shield his eyes as Dust, Fidget, Ginger, Haley and Cheryl saw what is happening with very narrow eyes and saw Chrom sped into the rubble where Ty is…


	34. Final Battle - Unity

Birth of a Legend

Chapter 31b: Final Battle – Unity

Streaks of white light seeped through the rubble and it blew away, revealing a familiar figure where the rubble was, as Cheryl said softly "Ty…" Ty opened his eyes and saw The Beast coming towards his allies; he then narrowed his eyes and sped off at Mach Speed as every element, from shrapnel of ice, to jagged rocks, to veins of lava formed around him, enlarging his avatar to match the size of the Beast and kicked him away into the Stronghold, standing tall and intimidating as The Beast saw Ty's Perfect Avatar: It was mainly an earthen body, enhanced with the other 7 elements, has emissive eyes, but were white and is encircled by shrapnel of Earth and Ice, veins of Lightning, Fire, and Water and the aura of Air, Light and Shadow. The Beast, although initially fazed at his worthy opponent, made a bellowing roar as the song 'It Has To Be This Way' from MGR: Revengeance played in the background. The Beast then charged towards Ty and the latter vaulted the former over him and charged him with Earthen Shrapnel enhanced with powerful Lightning Bolts and scorching Fire Balls, sending the monster staggering back uncontrollably. The Beast saw the damage and roared more defiantly and charged at Ty with his fist, which Ty responded by catching it and severely damaging it with Frozen Flames, making the former yelp in pain and recalling his hand, seeing it is shrivelled into a large mass of ash. Cheryl and the others are astonished to see that Ty is taking down The Beast effortlessly, when veins of water came towards them and made contact with their injuries, restoring them to perfect condition and curing the damage The Beast had inflicted on them, but The Shadow Elementalist refused the restoratives, claiming correctly the pain his child had inflicted on him is too much to bear and wanting to die for his sins. Cheryl, Dust, Ginger, Fidget and Haley stood up to see The Dark Elementalist's last breaths before he dissipated into nothing; the moment was interrupted when The Beast charged Ty into the Volcano and attempted to choke him, but even inflicting damage on him is lethal, because sharp pieces of earth had been impaled into The Beast's arm and he held it in pain, before looking at Ty's Perfect Avatar in fear and the latter smirked before gripping The Beast and flew upward with help of the Air and Earth Elements, before letting go and punched him in flurry fashion towards the centre of the active volcano, making it erupt from impact and Cheryl screamed "TYYYYYY! NOOOOOO!" Cheryl clasped her paws together, her eyes welling with hot tears and her mouth trembling, before she collapsed onto her knees, crying onto the dormant lava lake, saying repeatedly "Ty… No…" Dust, Ginger, Haley and Fidget comforted Cheryl, knowing what Ty had to do in order to defeat The Beast, when Cheryl suddenly looked up and saw something falling towards the slope of the volcano and sliding down. The others saw what Cheryl is seeing and Fidget, due to having high perceptive awareness, heard a familiar voice screaming down the slope as Cheryl said unbelievably "Ty?" The Voice went louder as it came down the slope, going "…eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Stopping just before them and dust swarmed around them and when it settled, they saw Ty, although singed and disoriented from the slope slide, is otherwise fine with the largest bit of Chrom remaining on his belt: His blade. Cheryl immediately reacted by kissing Ty everywhere on the face, highly happy that he has survived with hot wet tear streaking from her eyes before she hugged him, saying hoarsely "Ty… oh Ty…" Ty then replied hoarsely "Cheryl… Hi…" Dust then bend over and asked "Hey pal… that was an awesome fight." Ty groaned from the pain and replied "It FELT awesome…" Dust and the others, including Ty, chuckled from the comment and Haley asked "Are you going to be okay, Ty?" Ty then coughed out some smoke before replying "I'll be fine, I just need a good rest." Just like that, he fell to the side unconscious and the others carried him back to Aurora.


	35. Epilogue

Birth of a Legend

Epilogue

Ty woke up, feeling like his body has pins and needles inside him and he saw he was in Ginger's Home; he then tilted his head and saw he was in Ginger's Bed with bandages on his torso and recalled his battle with The Beast before realising he was out shortly after sliding down the volcano on a slab of volcanic rock. He then noticed there was gifts on the end of the bed and get well cards on the bedside table, before realising he wasn't alone in the house: Cheryl is fast asleep on the edge of the bed, apparently keeping to his side ever since he returned to Aurora. Cheryl then stirred awake and opened her eyes a little to see her interest up and awake and said "Hi sweetie… *yawns* I was so worried about you…" Ty then replied with a warm smile "Hey Cherry… Thank you for keeping company…" Cheryl felt flattered when Ty called her 'Cherry', so she sat up on the bed's edge as Ty sat next to her; Cheryl then said "Ty… I'd never leave your side, even in the face of danger. No matter where you go, no matter the danger, I'd be there for you." Ty smiled gently at those words as Cheryl laid her head on Ty's shoulder and Ty rubbed her side gently, making Cheryl smile and looked up to him with a loving smile. Ty laid his head on Cheryl's and smiled, with both Warmbloods closing their eyes to enjoy their embrace before they both turned their heads slowly to headbutt their foreheads gently and made a soft peck in the lips; they opened their eyes slightly and they thought simultaneously ("Oh to hell with this!") They then wrapped their arms around one another and passionately kiss as their hearts beat in unison, before Ty fell backwards and Cheryl fell onto him. There was a moment of inaction before they laughed softly and looked each other deeply into their eyes before pecking again and sitting back up before Ty cleared his throat and said "So I take it these stuff…?" Cheryl nodded and replied "From your friends and admirers." Ty grabbed the basket filled with sweets, deodorants and various toiletries and said "I take it THIS one is from the three Lotus'?" Cheryl and replied "They have a thing for you as well… they believe they have a shot with you." Ty then nodded slightly and said "Well, I believe they do… but I'm afraid they're not my type." Cheryl then gave it a thought and asked Ty "Ty… ever since you helped Melissa and Geoffrey with the Sawmill when you were 15, those girls kept sneaking off and are attracted to your physique." Ty smiled at that bit and replied "Well, I'm flattered really, but it's not the physique that counts to a life partner, it's their personality." Cheryl is stunned because Ty admits he's attracted to Cheryl solely for her personality, which she blurted out "Well… I like your limitless kindness and determination." Ty smiled and replied "I love your shy personality and your deep concern for others." Cheryl is deeply flattered from that remark, when the front door opened and Ty and Cheryl saw Ginger, Dust, Haley, Fidget, Matti, Jonathan, Cleo, Jess, Leslie, Patrick, Cheryl's Father, Mayor's Bram and Grif and Moonblood Elders Grey-Eyes and Moon-Eyes enter the house and are relieved that Ty had fully recovered and Ty asked how long he was out and Cheryl held his hands before replying "3 days… I was beginning to think you were in a comatose state…" Ty's mind felt it had received a hell of a shock when he learned he was out for 3 straight days and asked "What happened while I was out?" To Ty's surprise, it went uphill ever since The Beast has been defeated: The remaining Gaius followers confessed their crimes and Gaius' to the king and the latter gave them no punishment except for community service for the Moonbloods, Ginger's Parent's Spirits have now found peace and accepted Cassius' apology, Cassius' sister's Spirit had reunited with her brother and embraced him with a warm hug, The Warmbloods and Moonbloods are now in content with helping each other rebuild the ruined villages and Matti had finally agreed Dust as a Brother-in-Law. Mayor Bram then said "Ty, in your limitless efforts in ridding the evil, the whole of Falana is in high gratitude to you. Even the king himself has heard of your heroics and has bequeathed you a gift." Ty felt sincerely flattered and said "He shouldn't have…" Mayor's Bram and Grif stood aside to let the royal courier give a packed directly from the king himself: It was a flat, rectangular package officially sealed with the royal seal; Ty opened the package to see Chrom fully restored and below him is Royal Dragonscale Armor – The most lightweight, yet defensible light armor ever crafted by hand. The royal courier expressed that the king himself is pleased for his efforts and is welcomed into the palace with welcome arms before he headed off back to the city. Ty, feeling rather exceptional, is pleased that the danger has significantly abated, but knew there will be more threats in the future; for now, he finally has the time to relax. Everyone, except for Cheryl, left the house and Cheryl, finally have the time with her love, looked endearingly at Ty and Ty, seeing the expression on Cheryl's face, caressed her cheeks and passionately kissed each other before falling onto the bed with a *flump!* and expressed their love.


End file.
